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Consumers` sensory and nutritional perceptions of three types of milk

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journal contribution
posted on 2003-01-01, 00:00 authored by A Bus, Tony WorsleyTony Worsley
Objective: To identify consumer perceptions of whole milk, reduced-fat milk and soy milk, and to investigate demographic influences on perceptions and types of milk consumption.

Design and setting:
Questionnaires covering nutritional and sensory perceptions of three types of milk.

Subjects:
Three hundred and sixty-one randomly selected shoppers in Melbourne, Australia.

Results
: Generally, respondents held positive perceptions about milk. Milk was considered as having good sensory properties, providing a good source of nutrients, and being a convenient and safe product. However, despite these findings, misperceptions and unawareness about the nutrient content of milk were prevalent. Negative perceptions were most common for whole milk and were mostly related to its perceived high fat, cholesterol and energy contents. Soy milk received lower ratings on sensory quality and convenience than dairy milk. There were few sociodemographic differences in consumers' perceptions. Although reduced-fat milk consumption was more frequent among elderly people and type of milk consumption was related to parenthood, no other significant effects of demographic variables were found on the consumption of specific milk types.

Conclusion:
Although positive perceptions were common, negative perceptions and misperceptions appear to be prevalent, presenting a challenge for nutrition education. Sociodemographic factors were not shown to be important predictors of perceptions and type of milk consumption.

History

Journal

Public health nutrition

Volume

6

Pagination

201 - 208

Location

Cambridge, England

Open access

  • Yes

ISSN

1368-9800

eISSN

1475-2727

Language

eng

Notes

Reproduced with the kind permission of the copyright owner.

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2003, CABI Publishing