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Consumer Insights
Consumer expectations influence product development, communication, and trust in the food system. IFT coverage analyzes how attitudes, preferences, and behaviors around food are changing—and what those shifts mean for innovation, transparency, and decision-making across science-driven food organizations.
Attitudes and Perceptions
Consumer attitudes shape how foods and technologies are received in the marketplace. IFT coverage examines how beliefs, values, and perceptions influence trust, acceptance, and resistance across food categories and innovations.
Mar 02, 2026
Sensory Drivers of Oat Milk Liking
A study evaluates 28 commercial oat milks and finds that sweetness, creamy texture, and cereal-like flavors drive consumer liking, while watery texture and cardboard notes contribute to dislike.
Journal of Food Science
Aug 05, 2025
Attitudes About Healthy Eating
An infographic highlights findings from Innova Market Insights’ 2024 survey on U.S. and Canadian consumers, including priorities such as freshness, natural ingredients, and nutritional value.
Food Technology Magazine
Jun 16, 2025
Drivers of Hybrid Meat Acceptance
A review examines how taste, texture, perceived health benefits, sustainability, and familiarity influence consumer acceptance and willingness to pay for hybrid meat–alternative protein foods.
Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety
Mar 07, 2025
Home-Centric Eating Reshapes Food Demand
Shifts in eating patterns and rising food prices are driving more meals and snacks prepared at home, creating opportunities for convenient meal components, snacks, beverages, and premium grocery products.
Food Technology Magazine
Aug 31, 2024
How Dish Familiarity Shapes Food Behavior
A study finds that consumers’ familiarity with dishes influences why, where, and with whom they prepare and consume them, shaping acceptance of traditional, adopted ethnic, and unfamiliar foods.
Journal of Food Science
Jan 16, 2024
Consumer Outlooks in an Age of Angst
Experts identify five food and beverage trends emerging from the “anxiety economy,” as economic pressures and global uncertainty reshape consumer behavior and demand for comfort, value, and functional foods.
Brain Food Blog
Behavior and Decision-Making
What consumers say and what they do often diverge. IFT coverage analyzes purchasing behavior, usage patterns, and decision drivers that influence how food choices are made in real-world contexts.
Feb 20, 2026
Food Choice Reality Check
Consumers’ everyday choices—from portions to convenience foods—shape dietary behavior, highlighting the roles of personal responsibility, food environments, and clearer guidance.
Brain Food Blog
Jan 12, 2026
What Consumers Want in 2026
A consumer outlook highlights how value, health benefits, snacking, and GLP-1–driven dietary shifts are shaping food and beverage purchasing decisions in the year ahead.
Food Technology Magazine
Nov 10, 2025
Understanding the New Mainstream Consumer
Consumer insights guru Liz Sloan unpacks the latest consumer demographic trends and how they will shape food and beverage market opportunities.
Omnvire Podcast
Mar 25, 2025
Charting Feelings About Food
A new sensory research method called EmoMap captures emotional responses to foods by grouping products based on feelings, offering a more flexible way to study consumer perceptions.
Food Technology Magazine
Mar 07, 2025
Stressing but Spending
An infographic highlights Consumer Stress Index findings showing that despite concerns about food prices, many consumers continue spending on groceries, travel, and other discretionary purchases.
Food Technology Magazine
Oct 13, 2023
Immersive Tech Tools for Studying Food Choices
A review explores how virtual, augmented, and mixed reality can help researchers study food choice, sensory perception, and shopping behavior in controlled but realistic environments.
Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety
Trust, Transparency, and Communication
Trust plays a central role in consumer confidence in food and food science. IFT coverage examines how transparency, labeling, claims, and communication practices influence credibility and consumer understanding.
Oct 21, 2025
How Food Companies Can Win Back Trust
Food industry consultant Linda Eatherton shares her perspective on the critical steps food companies must take to ensure that they maintain—or regain—consumer trust.Food Technology Magazine
Oct 20, 2025
How to Counter Science Denial
Science communication experts Charlie Arnot and Veronica Jaramillo unpack why misinformation spreads, how it shapes public attitudes, and what the science community can do to push back.
Podcasts
Jul 16, 2025
Fighting Food Misinformation
Experts say food scientists can build public trust by listening first, connecting through shared values, and communicating science through relatable stories rather than relying solely on data to counter misinformation.
Food Technology Magazine
Jan 30, 2025
A Food Scientist’s Perspective on Nova
The controversial food classification system raises reasonable questions about ultra-processed foods, but we need to think critically about what it fails to factor in.
Food Technology Magazine
Sep 25, 2024
How Science Can Reclaim Public Trust
Charlie Arnot, CEO of The Center for Food Integrity explains why transparency must be at the heart of effective science-based communication.Food Technology Magazine
Jun 01, 2023
The Art of Science Communication
The executive director of the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science uses theatrical improv to help experts shed their inhibitions, focus less on looking smart, and think more about building trust with their audience.Food Technology Magazine
Cultural and Demographic Influences
Food choices are shaped by culture, identity, and lived experience. IFT coverage examines how demographic factors, cultural context, and social norms influence preferences, expectations, and engagement with food.
Jan 20, 2026
Targeting Older Consumers
Older adults, numbering 124.4 million in 2025, represent an important and potentially untapped market for food and beverage companies.Food Technology Magazine
Jul 02, 2025
Understanding Modern Hungers
Food ethnographer June Jo Lee decodes consumers’ eating patterns to help brands forecast market-shaping cultural shifts.Food Technology Magazine
May 09, 2025
The Emerging Flavors of Africa
Still largely undiscovered by U.S. consumers, the ingredients and cuisines of Africa present opportunities for product developers seeking to create novel food experiences.Food Technology Magazine
May 22, 2024
Creating a Culture of Female Food Heroes
Nutritionist and ‘silo smasher’ Tambra Raye Stevenson works on the front lines of food advocacy, promoting food as a healing agent for change.Food Technology Magazine
Jul 16, 2024
Sizing Up Generation Alpha
Generation Alpha’s multicultural backgrounds and digital-first habits are expected to shape food preferences, pushing brands to rethink flavors, authenticity, and product experiences.
Food Technology Magazine
Aug 01, 2023
Making Sense of Consumer Complexity
Connecting the dots between behavioral research insights and product innovation is a labor of love for Dave Lundahl.Food Technology Magazine
Consumer Response to Innovation
Jan 19, 2026
Consumer Trends Sparking Food Innovation
Consumer trend trackers Jenny Zegler of Mintel and Michael Howard of Nichefire set the stage for the year ahead, sharing their takes on the trends that will have the greatest impact on product development and food innovation.
Podcasts
Nov 07, 2025
Verifying Builds Trust in Breakthrough Technology
IFT President Peggy Poole reflects on watershed moments in food technology advances, and what it takes to overcome inevitable resistance, fear, and anxiety.Food Technology Magazine
Oct 30, 2025
A CRISPR Future for Agriculture
Pairwise CEO Tom Adams explains how gene editing is reshaping crops, boosting yields, and making fruits and vegetables more consumer friendly.Food Technology Magazine
Aug 11, 2025
Talking With a Cultivated Meat Innovator
Bianca Lê, a cell biologist and head of special projects at Mission Barns, shares the story of the groundbreaking startup’s path to the creation of cell-cultivated pork fat.
Omnivore Podcast
Aug 01, 2025
What Is the Future of Meat?
Alt-meat is advancing, yet conventional meat remains dominant, defying early predictions of its demise.Food Technology Magazine
May 10, 2024
Ozempic’s Effect on Food Innovation
Mattson’s survey of anti-obesity medication patients showcases the potential disruption these new weight-loss drugs may have on the food industry and what consumers will be looking for in their foods and beverages.Food Technology Magazine
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