Food neophobia and the adoption of new food products

Purpose - This research aims to explore the scope of the food neophobia scale (FNS) as a means of identifying classes of adopters in the market diffusion of new food products. Design/methodology/approach - A questionnaire incorporating the FNS, together with a number of demographics questions, was administered to 226 postgraduate students. Data from the questionnaire were analysed using t-testing, one-way analysis of variance, cluster and discriminant analysis. Findings - There were small differences between recently arrived and long-term residents, between men and women, and, more significantly, between Europeans and East Asians, although not between other groups. A two-cluster structure was revealed within the data which broadly conformed to the expected pattern of adopters, but did not provide a more precise discrimination. This suggests that the FNS is dichotomous rather than continuous. Practical implications - The FNS provides a potential tool for marketers of food products, but it would need to be used with other measures to identify all five classes of adopters. Originality/value - This study addresses a gap in current knowledge, since food neophobia and the FNS have not been considered before in the context of market diffusion of new food products.