Packaging information as a modulator of consumers' perception of enriched and reduced-calorie biscuits in tasting and non-tasting tests

The first contact between consumers and the food product is normally the packaging and its labelling. The objective of this study was to investigate consumers' perceptions of the package and the expectations raised by nutritional and health claims and the nutrition panel, among other cues - and their influence on the sensory perception of enriched and reduced-calorie biscuits. Twenty-three enriched or low-calorie biscuits were assessed by 90 consumers who employed the projective mapping technique to evaluate the similarities and differences between the biscuits in four different scenarios. Two sessions were conducted without tasting the product to ascertain how consumers perceived the nutrition information panel and nutrition and health claims, among other packaging cues, and how they use these inputs to classify the biscuits. Ten samples were then selected for tasting in two further sessions: with and without information on the nutrition information panel and claims. The results showed that consumers were greatly influenced by the claims highlighted (colour and size) on the front of the package, particularly nutrition claims. In addition, non-sugar biscuits raised negative expectations and were associated with people with sugar metabolism disorders. Comparison of the two tasting sessions found that the information clearly had a negative influence on the perception of hedonic sensory characteristics. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.