Food-Evoked Emotion, Product Acceptance, Food Preference, Food Choice and Consumption: The New Perspective on Developing Novel and Healthier Products

Dear Colleagues,

Eating is a necessity to survive. However, food is more than just a source of nutrients—it is a source of basic pleasure as well as aesthetic experiences. Eating and drinking and lifestyle can promote health or may cause a number of potential health risk and ethical concerns related to food chain and production. Today, consumers are more health-conscious and more educated about what goes into their foods. Many consumers want healthier versions of retailed food products, such as those with low-sodium content. These consumers are concerned about their health benefit or risk associated with food consumption. At present, globalization allows consumers to be exposed to various cuisines which can be readily available to them. Additionally, with the world population increasing rapidly, alternative food sources and food production will be needed to support sustainability. A potential alternative protein source (e.g., from edible insect protein), for instance, will likely be needed. The question, therefore, is: “Would consumers be willing to consume this, and would they like it?” Based on many studies, food choice, acceptance, preference, and consumption are affected by a large number of factors, including both intrinsic and extrinsic factors and cues.

It is known that food elicits emotion. Measuring food-evoked emotions is a topical topic in sensory and consumer sciences. Emotions are becoming a critical component in designing products that meet consumers’ needs and expectations. Emotional profiles may effectively differentiate products with similar sensory characteristics and hedonic ratings. Emotion profiles and ratings may provide additional information that goes beyond traditional hedonic ratings and may provide more insight toward food choice. Several studies have reported emotional responses to food and their relationships to product acceptability. In addition to sensory quality of food, food-evoked emotion has been reported to be critical in predicting consumer's food preference, acceptance, and food choice, which are, in turn, critical in developing novel products. Appropriate health benefit information has also been reported to impact emotion, purchase decisions, and food choices. Human senses and cues play an instrumental role in food choice and intake, emotion, and product acceptance; hence, understanding their roles and importance is critical.

This Special Issue of Foods aims to publish both original and cutting-edge research and comprehensive reviews contributing to a deeper understanding of food-evoked emotion, food choice, preference, acceptance, and consumption, which is a valuable source of information for research and development, product innovation, and marketing that goes beyond traditional sensory preference and acceptability measurement. Papers from multi- and interdisciplinary perspectives, such as food and sensory sciences, culinology and gastronomy, nutrition and health sciences, psychology, business and marketing, and consumer behavior are highly desirable and very welcome.

Prof. Dr. Witoon Prinyawiwatkul
Guest Editor

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