Consumer Beliefs Research Articles

Consumer trust in the food value chain and its impact on consumer confidence: A model for assessing consumer trust and evidence from a 5-country study in Europe

In order to measure consumer trust in food chain actors and its impact on consumer confidence in food and the technology with which it has been produced, a model was developed relating social trust, beliefs in trustworthiness, overall trust in food chain actors, and confidence in both the supply of food products and food technologies. Data were collected via an online survey in five European countries. Analysis provided support for the model and showed that consumer confidence is largely determined by consumer beliefs about the trustworthiness of food chain actors. In particular the beliefs about openness, and especially about the openness of food manufacturers, are strongly related to consumer confidence. Some national differences in trust and confidence exist. This instrument is shown to be suitable for monitoring the development of, and changes in, trust across countries over time.

A values–beliefs–attitude model of local food consumption: An empirical study in China and Denmark

Consumers’ and policy makers’ interest in local foods is growing. Accordingly, researchers are also increasingly paying attention to the consumption of local foods. Studies have identified preference for local foods as an emergent consumer ideology called “locavorism”, but they have not yet addressed its antecedents or put it into a theoretical context. In addition, extant research provides several insights into local food buying behaviour in developed economies (e.g., USA, UK, Germany, or Italy); however, studies simultaneously conducted in developed and emerging economies are lacking. To address these research gaps, this study develops a conceptual framework with proposed relationships among values, beliefs (locavorism and fresh start mindset), and attitudes towards and intentions to purchase local foods in China and Denmark. We conducted an online survey in China and Denmark that evaluated our constructs with pre-developed multiple-item measures. Using structural equation modelling to test the integrated model, we find that values and long-term orientation are antecedents of consumer beliefs but the influences of values on consumer beliefs differ between collectivistic-dominated China and individualistic-dominated Denmark. Specifically, collectivistic values are significantly and positively related to locavorism in both countries, while individualistic values are strongly linked to locavorism only in Denmark; collectivistic values have no effects on fresh start mindset for the two samples, but individualistic values are significantly and positively related to a fresh start mindset in Denmark. In addition, consumer beliefs are significantly and positively associated with attitudes towards and intentions to buy local foods. Local food marketers can use our findings to target their communications more effectively.

Perceived healthiness of food items and the traffic light front of pack nutrition labelling: choice‐based conjoint analysis and cross‐sectional survey

Although traffic light labelling (TLL) is designed to aid the selection of healthier choices, consumers often have to make trade-offs between (un)desirable attributes. With the current emphasis of public health on sugar reduction, the present study aimed to investigate the relative influence of sugar on the perceived healthiness of products. A choice-based conjoint analysis (CBC) survey was designed to assess the relative importance of the macronutrients commonly used in TLL, as well as the rescaled utilities of three attribute levels (red, amber and green), which involved 858 participants aged ≥18years, who were recruited from the general population of Nottingham. An additional cross-sectional online survey was completed by another 901 participants to assess public knowledge about the intake recommendations underpinning the TLL. Usable data for CBC analysis showed that, when deciding upon the healthiness of items, sugar was significantly the most important macronutrient (mean 0.34, 95% confidence interval=0.32-0.35) among the 641 participants. Red labelling was significantly more influential than green across macronutrients. In the substudy, 13.3% of participants correctly identify the maximum recommended intake of free sugars. Moreover, 42.8% of the total sample could not identify whether the sugar information on TLL refers to the total or free sugar content. Despite a lack of knowledge about the recommendations underpinning the TLL criteria, decisions made by participants concerning the healthfulness of food products were significantly influenced by sugar content. TLL appears to guide consumer beliefs in the absence of deep knowledge. The dominance of sugar in decision making is unsurprising in the current public health climate.

Using online comments to explore consumer beliefs regarding organic food in German-speaking countries and the United States

Consumer beliefs play an important role in explaining consumer behavior. This exploratory study aims at building an inventory of consumer beliefs about organic food. To reach this objective, we conducted a content analysis of online comments about organic food posted on news websites and forums in German-speaking countries (n = 1094) and the United States (n = 1069). Such user-generated content has emerged as an abundant source of insight for consumer research, although very little has been exploited in organic food consumption research.The main result of this study is a comprehensive category system of 65 organic food beliefs and their relative frequencies. The category system reflects the large variety of beliefs and their differing salience within and across the two regions studied. We discuss the relevance of our category system for future survey, experimental, and textual research, as well as for marketing practitioners and policy-makers.

Does Information Disclosure Improve Consumer Knowledge? Evidence from a Randomized Experiment of Restaurant Menu Calorie Labels

The United States, in 2018, implemented a nationwide requirement that chain restaurants disclose calorie information on their menus and menu boards. This law was motivated by concern that consumers underestimate the number of calories in restaurant food, but it remains unclear the extent to which this information disclosure affects consumer knowledge. This paper fills that gap by estimating the impact of information disclosure on consumer knowledge through a randomized controlled field experiment of calorie labels on the menus of a full-service restaurant. The results indicate that information disclosure significantly reduces the extent to which consumers underestimate the number of calories in restaurant food; the labels improve the accuracy of consumers’ post-meal estimates of the number of calories they ordered by 4.0 percent and reduces by 28.9% the probability of underestimating the calories in one’s meal by 50% or more, both of which are statistically significant. However, even after information disclosure, there remains considerable error in consumer beliefs about the calorie content of the restaurant food they ordered. Even among the treatment group who received calorie labels, the average absolute value of percent error in their report is 34.2%.

Consumers' perceptions of circular economy in the hotel industry: evidence from Portugal

The purpose of this paper is to explore current consumers' perception towards circular economy (CE) principles and recommendations for the hotel industry. To enhance sustainable solutions and to promote the increase of green practices that translate into economic and environmental benefits, CE principles were addressed, and consumers' perceptions and recommendations taken into account. In the current research, a survey using online questionnaires was employed to gain understanding of the beliefs of hotel consumers towards CE and green practices. The 167 respondents were consumers mainly from Portugal's three main tourist destinations: Porto, Lisbon and the Algarve. The main findings show that even though consumers claim that energy (29.4%), environmental (42.5%) and social (43.1%) sustainability aspects have a positive influence on their hotel selection, only half of those strongly agreeing to such influence were willing to pay extra costs if such sustainability solutions were to be offered in their choice hotels.

Boilerplate: What Consumers Actually Think About It

One of the most difficult problems in modem contract law is the status of standard terms-often called boilerplate-in consumer transactions. On the one hand, standard terms are good because they reduce costs and increase efficiency and predictability. On the other hand, they can be used to impose unfair terms on consumers and even to evade important public policies. There is thus a vast and growing literature on the topic. We know for a fact that most consumers do not read standard terms. They will not read them before they sign the writing or click I agree or Buy now on their screen. They will not read them when they open the box and find them inside. This behavior is entirely rational and entirely expected-no one could function if she had to read the terms and conditions of every web site she happened to visit or every product she purchased. We know that she will ignore the terms, yet enforceability of contract terms under both current law and the proposed new Restatement of Consumer Contracts will depend on whether the consumer had the opportunity to read the terms-or, more accurately, opportunity to ignore them-before the purchase is made. But is that opportunity of any value to consumers? Do they see any distinction between terms on a web site and terms that accompany the product when it arrives? A vast and growing legal literature focuses on this question, but it is curiously limited. We know what judges and lawyers think that consumers think about boilerplate terms. But what consumers themselves think is still missing. Although business school scholarship is rich with studies of consumer beliefs and consumer behavior, little of that research seems to have diffused itself into the legal world. Our goal here is to help fill that gap. To begin to answer this question, we use a scenario-based experimental design to explore consumer attitudes toward common contract terms. In particular, we focus on (a) their understanding of baseline legal rules and commercial norms; (b) their view of the enforceability and fairness of standard terms that change those rules; and (c) whether their views of these issues change depending on whether they had a chance to view the terms before agreeing to the contract. Our goal is to determine whether current contract law-and the changes to the law recommended by the drafters of the proposed, RCC-reflect distinctions that have any meaningful value to consumer buyers.

Should we spend more on fish?—How consumer beliefs about fish influence fish and meat expenditure shares

AbstractHealth benefits derived from regular fish intake have encouraged governments to promote its consumption. However, can beliefs about fish increase expenditure on fish and reduce meat expenditure? Survey data from Modern Metropolitan Lima, Peru, indicate that female respondents were more likely to spend a bigger proportion on fish, while more educated respondents spent less on fish. Also, those with a higher household income and who eat fast food regularly were more likely to spend a bigger proportion on beef. Factors that positively influence expenditure share on fish were the belief that fish is healthy and nutritious, a preference for fish flavor and familiarity with fish. Conversely, these beliefs reduced the expenditure shares on beef and chicken. These outcomes demonstrate both the positive effect of fish consumption campaigns on fish expenditure and their negative impacts on meat expenditure, which has implications for campaigns developed by governments and the meat industry.Practical applicationsFood policies and campaigns that promote regular fish consumption by highlighting its positive health benefits and nutritional content can influence the proportion that consumers spend on fish versus other sources of animal protein, beyond their effects on consumer preferences and willingness‐to‐pay for fish. However, these campaigns can result in reduced meat expenditure. These substitution effects between expenditure on related products, such as the case of fish and different types of meats, need to be considered by the authorities and the food industry, as new marketing strategies may need to be developed to increase the consumption of specific fish and meat products that have positive health and nutrition properties. In addition, food processors and retailers could introduce and promote new products in convenient formats for meal preparation to encourage consumption of fish and meat as part of a healthy diet.

The impact of religiosity on fashion knowledge, consumer-perceived value and patronage intention

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of religiosity on fashion knowledge, consumer-perceived value and patronage intention. Design/methodology/approach This study applied purposive sampling method. The population size used a minimum number of samples (100) in the WarpPLS analysis. The inferential statistical technique used is structural equation modeling. A tool for analyzing the structural models is the partial least square method. Findings Religiosity is a consumer belief in religion, which does not generate fashion knowledge so that high and low religiousness cannot increase or decrease fashion knowledge. Consumer confidence in their religion can increase consumer-perceived value of Muslim fashion products. It causes consumers to behave positively toward future behavioral intentions, that is, the patronage intention. Consumer religiosity is not the cause of patronage intention so that the high or low level of religiousness does not increase or decrease in the willingness of consumers to visit the store (or patronage intention). Fashion knowledge has a positive influence on consumer-perceived value. Consumer knowledge of fashion can increase the patronage of consumer intention toward Muslim fashion products. Fashion knowledge brings the knowledge to consumers in regard to Islamic law that regulates the prohibited and allowed actions, especially in wearing fashion. The high or low level of consumer-perceived value does not provide a cause for increase or decrease in the willingness of consumers to revisit the store (or patronage intention). Originality/value With regard to the relationship between religiosity and knowledge, it is found that there are still limited studies and differences in the sectors studied regarding the influence of religiosity and knowledge. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the religiosity variable in influencing consumer-perceived value has not been used in previous studies. Religiosity is associated with consumer-perceived value expressed as originality in this study because the researcher has not found this relationship in the previous studies. Regarding the relationship between religiosity and store patronage intention, it is found that there are still different opinions in the research results on the effect of religiosity and store patronage intention. Concerning the relationship between knowledge and consumer-perceived value, it is found that there are still different opinions in the research results on the effect of knowledge and consumer-perceived value. The authors found no use of the knowledge variable in influencing store patronage intention in previous research studies. Knowledge associated with store patronage intention is expressed as the originality trait in this study because the researcher has not found this relationship in the previous studies. As for the relationship between consumer-perceived value and store patronage intention, it is found that there are still different opinions in the research results of the study regarding the influence of consumer-perceived value and store patronage intention.

How and when AR technology affects product attitude

PurposeAugmented reality (AR) has emerged as a novel communication tool, which adds virtual computer-generated information to a viewer’s real life. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of AR technology on consumers’ experience.Design/methodology/approachFour experiments were performed to test the effect of AR-based product display on the consumer’s attitude and the underlying mechanism of the effect.FindingsThe results have demonstrated that self-referencing reality simulation mediates the effect of AR technology on consumers’ product attitude, and the effect is attenuated when the consumers hold quality beliefs rather than taste beliefs or when the product is a luxury brand.Practical implicationsThe current research suggests that managers should develop and adopt AR technology when presenting their products in front of consumers, which can improve consumers’ product attitude. Additionally, emphasizing the taste of target products rather than quality will strengthen the positive effect of AR technology on product attitude. Furthermore, managers of luxury brands should present their products in a traditional way, which induce an exclusive perception rather than using AR technology.Originality/valueThis paper investigates the underlying mechanism of how AR technology improves consumers’ product attitude and shopping experience, to fill the gap in consumers’ unique experience with AR technology. Furthermore, the moderated effect of consumer beliefs and product difference has also been examined in this study, which attributes to the research of product differentiation.

Consumer beliefs about healthy foods and diets.

BackgroundThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration has begun a public process to redefine how companies are allowed to use the term “healthy” on food packages. Although the definition is formulated based on the latest consensus in nutrition and epidemiological research, it is also important to understand how consumers define and understand the term if it is to be behaviorally relevant. This research is an exploratory study designed to provide a descriptive account of consumers’ perceptions of and beliefs about the meaning of “healthy” food.MethodsA nationwide U.S. sample of 1,290 food consumers was surveyed in December 2018. Respondents answered 15 questions designed to gauge perceptions of healthy food and to elicit preference for policies surrounding healthy food definitions. Responses are weighted to demographically match the population. Categorical variables have a sampling error of ±2.7%. Exploratory factor analysis is used to determine latent dimensions of health perceptions related to food type.ResultsConsumers were about evenly split on whether a food can be deemed healthy based solely on the foods’ nutritional content (52.1% believing as such) or whether there were other factors that affect whether a food is healthy (47.9% believing as such). Consumers were also about evenly split on whether an individual food can be considered healthy (believed by 47.9%) or whether this healthiness is instead a characteristic of one’s overall diet (believed by 52.1%). Ratings of individual food products revealed that “healthy” perceptions are comprised of at least three underlying latent dimensions related to animal origin, preservation, and freshness/processing. Focusing on individual macronutrients, perceived healthiness was generally decreasing in a food’s fat, sodium, and carbohydrate content and increasing in protein content. About 40% of consumers thought a healthy label implied they should increase consumption of the type of food bearing the label and about 15% thought the label meant they could eat all they wanted.ConclusionsResults suggest consumer’s perceptions of “healthy,” which is primarily based on fat content, partially aligns with the FDA definition but also suggest consumers perceive the word as a broader and more nuanced concept that defies easy, uniform definition. Results highlight areas where nutrition education may be needed and suggest disclosures may need to accompany health claims so that consumers know what, precisely, is being communicated.

Attitudes and beliefs of consumers towards pig welfare and pork quality

The aim of this study is to provide an overview of consumer attitudes and beliefs regarding pig welfare and quality of pork meat. Regarding animal welfare, several aspects of farm management and practice were considered, with an emphasis on alternatives to surgical castration without pain control, such as entire male production, castration with anaesthesia and immunocastration. Organic production was also considered. For meat quality, aspects of sensory quality were studied, specifically those related to boar taint, again including organically produced meat. A wide variety of consumer attitudes and beliefs are revealed in these studies as being strongly dependent on culture and influenced by information provided. These insights can be used when producing and commercializing pork and pork products as well as when developing marketing strategies to reach various consumers and satisfy market demands.

Estimating dynamic discrete choice models with aggregate data: Properties of the inclusive value approximation

We investigate the use of the inclusive value based approach for estimating dynamic discrete choice models of demand with aggregate data. The inclusive value sufficiency (IVS) approach approximates a multi-dimensional state space with a single “sufficient statistic” in order to mitigate the curse of dimensionality and tractability estimate model primitives. Although in widespread use, the conditions under which IVS is appropriate have not been examined. Theoretically, we show that the estimator is biased and inconsistent. We then use Monte Carlo simulations (of a simple model of dynamic durable goods adoption) to demonstrate the degree of bias associated with the inclusive value approximation estimator under an array of parameterizations and data generating processes. In our examination, we show that the estimator performs better when the discount factor is smaller and/or when the price sensitivity of the consumer is larger. Examining how the bias impacts economic quantities of interest, we find that the IVS method under estimates the true long-run own-price elasticities and over estimates the change in profits as prices change. Theses findings highlight the importance of correctly specifying how consumers form expectations. As a result, researchers should consider how to empirically support their assumption for the underlying consumer belief structure.

Consumers’ attitudes towards and acceptance of 3D printed foods in comparison with conventional food products

SummaryLittle research currently exists in the literature on consumers’ perceptions of 3D printed foods; thus, present research aimed to investigate this topic. Two focus groups (n = 8 and 12) were conducted to identify what consumers believe about 3D food printing. Responses from the focus groups were used to create an online survey investigating consumer attitudes towards 3D printed foods in comparison with conventional foods, as well as consumer beliefs about 3D food printing. Based on the results of the survey, three clusters were identified: the markedly interested cluster (n = 140), moderately interested cluster (n = 98) and the not interested cluster (n = 91). The markedly interested cluster wanted to know more about 3D printed food, and believed it could reduce the cost of food and benefit people in the future. The moderately interested cluster was excited to try printed food. Conversely, the third cluster believed 3D printed foods were unacceptable and not safe to consume.

Factors Predicting the Intention of Eating an Insect-Based Product.

This study provides a framework of the factors predicting the intention of eating an insect-based product. As part of the study, a seminar was carried out to explore how the provision of information about ecological, health, and gastronomic aspects of entomophagy would modify consumer beliefs regarding insects as food. Before and after the informative seminar, two questionnaires about sociodemographic attributes and beliefs about the consumption of insects as food were given. Participants were then asked to carry out a sensory evaluation of two identical bread samples, but one was claimed to be supplemented with insect powder. Results showed that perceived behavioral control is the main predictor of the intention, followed by neophobia and personal insect food rejection. The disgust factor significantly decreased after the participants attended the informative seminar. Sensory scores highlighted that participants gave “insect-labelled” samples higher scores for flavor, texture, and overall liking, nevertheless, participants indicated that they were less likely to use the “insect-labelled” bread in the future. Our findings provide a better understanding of insect food rejection behavior and help to predict the willingness to try insect-based products based on some important individual traits and information.

Az élelmiszerpazarlás és a fogyasztói tudatosság kapcsolata

Összefoglalásként megállapítható, hogy napjainkban egyre inkább kiemelt figyelem övezi az élelmiszerek hatékony felhasználására való törekvést. Ez a törekvés mára nem csupán makro szinten valósul meg, hanem egyre inkább megjelenik a háztartások gondolatkörében is. A pazarlás nem csupán a tőlünk kedvezőbb gazdasági mutatószámokkal rendelkező országok problémája, hanem bizony „mi” is vagyunk azok az „ők”, akik pazarolják az élelmiszert. Egy olyan országban, mint hazánk, ahol az EU átlagához viszonyított jövedelemszint alacsony, kiemelt figyelmet kell, hogy jelentsen az élelmiszerek hatékony felhasználása. Ennek megvalósulásáért, ellentétben nagyon sok minden mással, maga a háztartás, az egyén tehet a legtöbbet. A kutatás rámutatott arra, hogy az élelmiszer pazarlás összefügg a fogyasztó bevallott jövedelmi szintjével. Az átlagostól alacsonyabb bevallott jövedelemszinttel rendelkezők esetében azt tapasztalhattuk, hogy a pazarlás becsült mértéke a több termék esetében is csökkent az átlagoshoz képest. Az átlagostól magasabb bevallott jövedelemszinttel rendelkezők esetén a becsült pazarlás mértéke emelkedik több termékkategóriában is. A jövedelemszint emelkedésével a tudatos felhasználás csökkent, a pazarlás mértéke emelkedő tendenciát mutatott. A kérdés természetesen nem ennyire egyszerű, hiszen a gazdasági keretfeltételek, a játékszabályok megvalósítása komoly nemzetgazdasági vagy ezen is túlmutató, szupranacionális kérdés lehet. A tudatosság szintjére eredményeim alapján a család jövedelme komoly hatást fejt ki, a jövedelmi szint emelkedésével a tudatossági fegyelem csökken. Ez az eredmény összefügg a szakirodalom makrogazdasági adataival. JEL-kódok: I30, M31, Q18

Gluten aversion is not limited to the political left

Despite a heightened political discourse surrounding food choices, few studies have identified connections between political beliefs and consumer perceptions. Using gluten as an example, this article identifies how political opinions relate to opinions of food products. If an avoidance of gluten is a biological condition and not a social construct, there should be no correlation between political opinions and gluten avoidance. Our study uncovers a complex relationship between the social construction of gluten avoidance and the potential role of political views. Perhaps most surprising, we find that supporters of Donald Trump are more likely to identify as avoiding gluten, relative to non-supporters. Findings suggest that future research might benefit from considering the political beliefs of consumers when estimating models of food demand.

Exploring the impact of religiousness and cultureon luxury fashion goodspurchasing intention

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to investigate the effect of religiosity and culture on Nigerian Muslim consumer’s intention to purchase luxury goods.Design/methodology/approachThe survey included a sample of 372 Nigerian Muslims from the middle and upper-income groups who live in Lagos and Kano in Nigeria.FindingsPlenty of luxury brands are seeking to find ways to overgrow in emerging markets. Focussing on Nigeria, this study identifies Nigerian people’s cultural orientation, religious beliefs and examines the social and personal variables affecting the consumers’ purchasing intention for luxury goods. This study stresses that Nigerian consumers’ intention to purchase luxury products are impacted by attitude, subjective norms and culture. However, Nigerian people’s intention to purchase luxury goods is not influenced by religious beliefs and Islam morals. While culture has a significant relationship with both attitudes towards behaviour and subjective norms, the religious beliefs encourage both subjective norms and a positive attitude towards the behaviour.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has limitations in connection with two of its major objectives. The study applied the perspective of Nigerian Muslims. Thus, the research will not be able to clarify the fact that beyond this limited geographical area. Future research may widen the focus on cultural and religious beliefs on the intention to purchase luxury goods by adding other elements, such as normative beliefs and attitudinal beliefs.Practical implicationsThe findings of the research define some implications for marketers with regard to the importance of social norms and religion in point of increasing the purchasing intention for luxury goods. Findings reflect that Nigerian consumers are impacted by subjective norms and cultural orientation. This means that luxury consuming is seen to achieve social recognition in the society. These results show that improving social acceptance through luxury goods consumption may create profitable outcomes for luxury brand firms.Originality/valueThe attractive findings of the study proposed that luxury brand managers should balance their investment in terms of the use of word-of-mouth, reference groups and fashion magazines to develop a favourable attitude towards luxury brands through. Although cultural values, references groups and consumer’s beliefs critically matter for luxury consuming, religious beliefs of Nigerian consumers have no effect on consumer’ purchase intention for a luxury product.

Instant consumer response: An examination of the paths influencing the effectiveness of mobile advertising

This study examines the different paths underlying the relationships between consumer beliefs, attitudes and behavioural intentions in the context of mobile advertising. Based on survey data collected from 388 mobile users in China, the results of this research suggest that beliefs and attitude work differently in the mobile advertising context than in the traditional media environment. The research identifies three different influencing paths. First, perceived informational usefulness bypasses the time-consuming formation of attitude to have a direct impact on consumers’ purchase intention. Secondly, perceived entertainment usefulness and irritation influence behavioural responses through attitude. Thirdly, credibility influences behavioural intentions through attitude, subjective norm and incentive. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

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

This study established attractive attributes and drivers of purchase for prepackaged Cheddar cheese shreds. Seven focus groups of Cheddar cheese shred consumers (n = 61) were conducted to probe consumer beliefs regarding packaging, ingredients, label claims, and applications of prepackaged Cheddar cheese shreds. Subsequently, an online survey was developed utilizing the key attributes from the focus groups. The survey (n = 1,288) included maximum difference scaling, Kano questions, and adaptive choice-based conjoint analysis. Additionally, 9 different commercial Cheddar cheese shreds varying in color, shred thickness, brand, and price were selected for a follow-up qualitative multivariate analysis to gain further consumer insight on attribute importance. Consumers (n = 13) were provided with commercial packages of shreds to evaluate over a 4-week period. Consumers journaled their likes and dislikes after use of each cheese shred and subsequently participated in a final 2.5-h focus group and projective mapping exercise. Consumers placed highest importance on price, followed by nutrition claims, color, sharpness, thickness, and label claims. Four consumer clusters were identified from conjoint utility scores. One consumer cluster exhibited preference for value-added features such as nutrition claims and brand, and another consumer cluster placed importance on shred color, whereas the other 2 groups were driven primarily by price. The qualitative multivariate analysis results confirmed the focus group and survey results: meltability, orange color, lack of clumps, ability to reseal the bag, and desirable "Cheddar" flavor were also preferred Cheddar shred qualities.