Influence of label and location of testing on acceptability of cream cheese varying in fat content

The acceptability of low-, medium- and high-fat versions of a cream cheese to consumers was measured in different conditions by rating overall distance from ideal. The influence of label (unlabelled vs. commercial package) differed according to the cream cheese fat-level habits of the assessors and to the fat level of the product. In labelled testing, high-fat cream cheese was more highly accepted by high- and medium-fat users and low-fat cream cheese seemed to be further from ideal for high-fat users. The location of testing (home vs. laboratory) affected the rating of only the high-fat product: consumers are more severe on it at home than in the laboratory.