Consumer attitudes towards different food-processing technologies used in cheese production - The influence of consumer benefit

The relative importance of 'production method' and 'benefit' to the purchase likelihood decisions of 120 consumers for novel cheeses was assessed. Genetic engineering (transfers of genetic material between species), protein engineering (altering the characteristics of micro-organisms without transferring genetic material), and traditional selective breeding were compared. Benefits were directed towards the health of the consumer, product quality, the environment, animal welfare or the manufacturer. Conjoint analysis indicated that 79% of the sample made decisions based on process considerations, although tangible benefit was a more important factor in their decisions. A further 19% did not consider process important, but tended to make decisions based on consumer benefits alone. Positive correlations between Perceived benefit and need, and purchase likelihood were observed for those respondents who considered process important. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.