Consumer insights on prepackaged Cheddar cheese shreds using focus groups, conjoint analysis, and qualitative...

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Consumer Behavior
• Sensory Analysis

Background:

• Prepackaged Cheddar cheese shreds are a popular convenience food.
• Understanding consumer preferences is crucial for product development and marketing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify attractive attributes and purchase drivers for prepackaged Cheddar cheese shreds.
• To segment consumers based on their preferences for cheese shred attributes.

Main Methods:

• Seven focus groups (n=61) explored consumer beliefs on packaging, ingredients, and claims.
• An online survey (n=1,288) used conjoint analysis and scaling techniques.
• Qualitative multivariate analysis of commercial products (n=13) provided further insights.

Main Results:

• Price was the most important attribute, followed by nutrition claims, color, sharpness, thickness, and label claims.
• Four consumer segments emerged: value-added features, shred color, and two price-driven segments.
• Meltability, orange color, clump-free texture, resealable packaging, and desirable flavor were preferred qualities.

Conclusions:

• Consumer preferences for Cheddar cheese shreds are diverse, with significant segments driven by price or specific attributes.
• Product developers should consider attribute importance and consumer segmentation for targeted marketing and product design.