Nutritional and Sensory Beliefs in Food Choice

Abstract

Food choice is influenced by a range of factors, including sensory attributes and beliefs about the nutritional value of the foods. It is difficult to determine the relative importance of beliefs about nutritional and sensory attributes to foods. It is necessary to examine these within an overall framework. The attitudes model developed by Fishbein and Ajzen is presented as a framework within which such comparisons can be made. It has been shown to be useful in a variety of studies of food choice. The relative importance of different types of beliefs can be assessed within this approach by examining the relationship between individual beliefs (or groups of beliefs) and either attitude or behaviour. In a number of studies sensory attributes have been found to be more important for table salt use, snack food consumption and consumption of foods contributing highly to fat in the diet. In the case of low‐fat milk consumption, however, nutritional beliefs were found to be more important than beliefs about the sensory attributes of the milks or their suitability for different uses.