Luis Guerrero 1, Anna Claret 1, Maria Dolors Guārdia 1, Wim Verbeke 2,
Filiep Vanhonacker 2, Margrethe Hersleth 3
1) IRTA (Spain), 2) Ghent University (Belgium), 3) Nofima Mat (Norway)
Traditional food products (TFP) have always been an important part of European culture, identity and economy. In order to increase safety and competitiveness in TFP without losing the well-appreciated traditional image that these products have for most consumers, producers and manufacturers need to incorporate different product and process innovations. The aim of this study was to assess the effect that these innovations may have on the image of TFP among European consumers.
Twenty-three different innovations potentially applicable to TFP were selected. These innovations covered authenticity, safety, health, sensory, variety, convenience and marketing related aspects. The possible influence that each of these innovations may have on the image of TFP was evaluated by 4,828 consumers from six European countries (Belgium, France, Italy, Norway, Poland and Spain) representing 98 regions.
Overall, only four innovations were evaluated as negatively affecting the traditional character of TFP. These innovations dealt with new flavours, diversification of shapes/texture, ready to eat dishes and, especially, distribution of TFP in vending machines. The most tolerated innovation was the possibility of buying TFP directly from the manufacturer. Similar results were obtained when comparing countries, with only small differences between them. Consumers in Poland and Spain were the most tolerant towards the proposed innovations, while French consumers were the most reluctant to admit them. The highest disagreement between countries was detected for innovations about distribution related issues. Regarding regional differences two main clusters were observed, that mainly diverged in their perception of convenience-oriented innovations. This analysis highlights the existence of more similarities between some regions of different countries than between regions in the same country.
Summing up, substantial possibilities for the introduction of innovations in TFP seem to exist without decreasing their positive image, especially for those dealing with the authenticity of the product.
(Project TRUEFOOD 6th FP, Contract n. FOOD-CT-2006-016264)
