Consumer attitude towards information on non conventional technology

The increasing demand for healthy and nutritious products as a consequence of consumers being better educated and more demanding, contributes to a continuous need for new products, and a more differentiated food product assortment. Many consumers are choosing foods closer to those 'in natura'. This scenario contributes to the development of emerging technologies which may lead to the availability of products with better sensory and nutritional quality. However, the concern about the acceptance of such products becomes an important factor during their developments. This study aimed at evaluating the consumer attitude towards the information presented on the label about the technology used for the fruit juice processing - high pressure - by Brazilian consumers. Focus group sessions were conducted with students and housewives to obtain information about consumers' awareness, attitudes, opinions, behaviours, and concerns toward processed foods and beverages, and to provide strategies that could aid in marketing products. A protocol delineating the sequence of question to be asked in each focus group was designed beforehand and applied to each group. Discussions were conducted with two groups each of students and of housewives. Pineapple juice labels were created by varying the nutritional, sensory, and technological information about the product were used to motivate the discussion. Although the participants in this study were very different in terms of age and level of education, most of their perceptions about the pineapple juices were similar. The students and the housewives considered the information about the technology an important factor during the product evaluation, however, the employed ladies who worked at the administrative side of a food research institution asked for more explanation about the technology in order to show the benefits it could provide to consumers. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.