Spanish researchers asked 207 consumers to test a newly developed hot sauce at home. Their findings suggest that sustainability and product design can create opportunities for food manufacturers challenging established brands.

Originally published research: 20 March 2024

Brand loyalty is one of the most powerful forces in the food industry. Consumers frequently return to familiar products, particularly when those products deliver a distinctive taste or experience.

For manufacturers introducing new foods, persuading customers to abandon an established brand can therefore be a significant challenge.

But what happens when a new product combines appealing flavour with a more sustainable design?

Researchers in Spain investigated precisely that question by developing an environmentally conscious hot sauce and asking consumers to evaluate it in their own homes.

Their findings, published in the scientific journal Foods on 20 March 2024, suggest that a carefully designed alternative can attract substantial consumer interest.

In the study, 64% of participants expressed willingness to switch from a well-known brand to the newly developed sauce.

The result offers an intriguing perspective on the relationship between consumer preferences, product innovation and environmental sustainability.

A research project in Spain

The investigation was conducted by researchers associated with the Basque Culinary Center, Mondragon University and the Basque Centre for Climate Change.

The scientific team included Paula Torán-Pereg, Elena Romeo-Arroyo, Stéfani Novoa, Guillermo Pardo and Laura Vázquez-Araújo.

Their objective was not simply to determine whether consumers liked a particular sauce.

Instead, the researchers wanted to understand how people perceived an environmentally conscious food product, which characteristics influenced their acceptance and how the product could be improved before entering the market.

The researchers combined qualitative consumer research with practical testing.

They first organised three focus groups to identify important product characteristics and consumer expectations.

Information from these discussions helped shape a consumer questionnaire.

The team subsequently conducted a home-use test involving 207 participants.

Why testing food at home matters

Food companies frequently rely on sensory evaluations, consumer surveys and controlled testing environments when developing new products.

Such methods provide valuable information, but they may not fully reproduce the conditions in which food is normally consumed.

A sauce evaluated in a laboratory may be experienced differently when it is used during an ordinary family meal.

The Spanish researchers therefore incorporated home-use testing into their methodology.

Participants could evaluate the product in a more realistic consumption environment, allowing the researchers to investigate its acceptability and identify opportunities for improvement.

This approach is particularly relevant for condiments.

Unlike products that are normally consumed on their own, sauces are usually combined with other foods. Their perceived quality may therefore depend on the meals with which they are served.

Studying consumption in a domestic setting can provide insights that are difficult to obtain through isolated tasting sessions.

The importance of texture

One finding concerned the physical characteristics of the experimental sauce.

Although the product received a generally positive evaluation, participants identified aspects that could be improved.

One example was its thickness.

The researchers found that modifying the sauce’s texture could improve its suitability for consumer expectations.

This apparently simple observation illustrates a broader principle in food innovation.

Consumers do not evaluate products exclusively according to ingredients, nutritional characteristics or environmental performance.

Practical usability also matters.

A sauce that is too thin, too thick or difficult to dispense may disappoint consumers even if its flavour is appealing.

Product development must therefore consider the complete consumption experience.

Could consumers abandon an established brand?

The study’s most striking finding concerned the participants’ stated willingness to change brands.

A total of 64% indicated that they would be willing to switch from a well-known brand to the newly developed hot sauce.

For manufacturers attempting to enter a competitive market, this is a potentially important result.

It suggests that established brand recognition does not necessarily prevent consumers from considering alternative products.

However, the distinction between intention and behaviour is essential.

The study measured consumers’ expressed willingness to switch. It did not demonstrate that 64% subsequently abandoned their usual brand in real purchasing conditions.

Actual purchasing decisions can be influenced by price, availability, advertising, packaging and established shopping habits.

Nevertheless, the findings indicate that a new product may overcome at least some of the psychological barriers associated with brand loyalty.

The environmental dimension

The researchers also examined the potential environmental implications of consumers switching to the newly developed sauce.

Their analysis suggested that the hypothetical substitution could produce a reduction of up to 58% in greenhouse gas emissions associated with the relevant product use.

This was a modelled potential reduction, not a measured decrease resulting from consumers changing their purchasing behaviour.

The distinction is important.

Environmental improvements depend on the characteristics of the products being compared and on the assumptions used in assessing their environmental impact.

Nevertheless, the analysis demonstrates why consumer acceptance is an important component of sustainable food innovation.

Developing a product with a lower environmental footprint is only part of the challenge.

Consumers must also be willing to use it.

An environmentally improved food product that fails to attract buyers may have limited practical impact.

What the findings mean for food manufacturers

The research offers several lessons for the international food industry.

First, environmental performance and consumer acceptance should be considered together during product development.

Second, qualitative research can reveal characteristics that manufacturers might otherwise overlook.

Third, home-use testing provides information about how a product performs under realistic consumption conditions.

Finally, the findings suggest that consumers may be open to unfamiliar alternatives when those products meet their expectations.

For smaller manufacturers, this could be encouraging.

Competing with established brands does not necessarily require reproducing an existing product.

Innovation in ingredients, product characteristics and environmental performance may provide opportunities for differentiation.

However, the study does not establish that sustainability alone caused the participants’ willingness to switch brands.

The favourable responses concerned a complete product experience, including its sensory and practical characteristics.

The limitations of consumer intention

The researchers’ findings should not be interpreted as a prediction of market share.

The sample consisted of 207 consumers participating in a particular product-development study.

The results cannot automatically be generalised to every country, demographic group or category of sauce.

Moreover, stated willingness to purchase a product is not equivalent to observed behaviour in supermarkets or online stores.

Further research involving actual purchasing decisions, different price levels and larger consumer populations would help determine whether the favourable responses translate into commercial success.

The study nevertheless provides a valuable methodological contribution.

It demonstrates how consumer research can be integrated into the final stages of environmentally conscious food development.

Beyond the hot sauce market

Although the experiment focused on one hot sauce, the research addresses questions relevant to the broader food industry.

Manufacturers of dressings, condiments, prepared foods and other consumer products face similar challenges when introducing innovations.

They must balance sensory quality, convenience, production requirements, environmental performance and consumer expectations.

The Spanish study suggests that successful innovation requires more than developing a technically improved product.

It requires understanding how people experience that product in everyday life.

The broader lesson is that sustainability and consumer satisfaction need not be competing objectives.

For researchers and manufacturers, the challenge is to design products that deliver both.

Scientific source

Original study: Torán-Pereg, P., Romeo-Arroyo, E., Novoa, S., Pardo, G. & Vázquez-Araújo, L. (2024).

Title: Consumer Insights to Eco-Design a Hot Sauce: Understanding Household Use for Product Optimization through Focus Groups and a Home-Use-Test Study.

Journal: Foods, Volume 13, Issue 6, Article 945.

Original publication date: 20 March 2024.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13060945

Research institutions: Basque Culinary Center, Mondragon University and Basque Centre for Climate Change, Spain.

Research methodology: Three focus groups followed by a home-use test involving 207 consumers.

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Image: A consumer study in Spain explored whether an environmentally conscious hot sauce could persuade buyers to switch from established brands.