The Importance of Pleasure in Food
Beyond any health benefits, the sensorial aspects of food determine which specific foods a consumer will choose. This includes the pleasure of the taste, aroma, texture and appearance of the foods we eat. How does a food taste, smell and look? This is why Nestlé Research addresses the physiological and psychological mechanisms underlying food choice. But food choice is also influenced by external impulses linked to tradition and culture.
Cross-cultural curiosity may influence food choice through the desire to try new tastes and culinary experiences. Other individuals may prefer to stay with what is familiar. Further, the sensation of satiety, or feeling satisfied, determines how much of the food will be eaten. Research on satiety and on how the signals of having eaten enough are triggered will help us to better understand and react to the epidemic of obesity through appropriately designed foods.
To fulfil consumer expectations, Nestlé has created a product optimisation process aiming to satisfy 60 out of 100 consumers with the Nestlé product relative to a similar competitor’s product in a blind test. More recently, this has been extended to a “60:40+” concept, where all ingredients are scrutinized to ensure that the accrued preference is backed up by an optimum nutritional value. The "+" is the added nutritional value. This approach reinforces Nestlé’s core competence as the Health and Wellness Company.