Abstract
Greater differentiation is being made between types of milk according to product and process characteristics. This study investigated consumer preferences for 4 different types of milk in packaging-blind and nonblind experiments. The taste of long-life milk, conventional fresh whole milk, pasture-based milk, and organic milk was assessed by 138 randomly selected respondents. The average taste of packaging-blind versus nonblind milk types was statistically significantly different for each of the 4 milk types. Consumers appeared to be influenced by the milk's packaging and related credence-good attributes. It is noteworthy that the taste of organic milk during the blind tasting was given a lower rating, and the taste of long-life milk or UHT milk a higher rating, than when respondents were aware of the respective milk types. The study estimated multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression models with the response variable buying decision. Of all the factors studied in the blind and nonblind tasting of almost all milk types, buying decisions were influenced most by taste, overall assessment and income.
Highlights
In Germany’s fresh milk retail market, dairy processors are increasingly marketing milk according to certain product and process characteristics
In blind paired preference tests, 23.31% of participants were able to correctly identify the same taste of both placebo samples and answered “indifferent” for fresh whole milk, and 27.91% of participants were able to identify that organic milk was offered twice
An investigation of consumers’ preferences for different fat contents in milk, comparing the preferences for skim milk and high-fat milk, an examination of price differences and their impact on buying decisions, as well as blind and nonblind tastings of plant-based milk can be subjects of future research. It appears that pasture-based milk, organic milk and fresh whole milk have a better image, and long-life (UHT) milk has a worse image than the actual blinded taste preferences would suggest
Summary
In Germany’s fresh milk retail market, dairy processors are increasingly marketing milk according to certain product and process characteristics This can imply higher revenues if certain consumer groups pay more for certain milk types, but the provision of certain process characteristics may increase production costs. If farmers can provide access to pasture at a reasonable cost, some dairy processors have previously paid price premiums to farmers and marketed this conventional milk as pasture-based milk, which may appear more “natural” than regular conventional milk It is not clear whether pasture-based milk tastes different or whether consumers are primarily paying for its associated animal welfare aspect. This is questionable given that access to pasture is typically not provided year-round, but only during the grassland vegetation season, which in Germany is usually from May to October
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