Trends in consumer behavior and impact to food industry testing Application note

by Ina Kanngiesser 

Summary

Social change has a significant impact on consumer behavior in regards to food. It has changed in the years of economic growth since the Second World War as a large middle class has formed. While food stamps were required directly after the Second World War, society has become increasingly affluent. Social change has also influenced the food industry, which is under massive pressure with ever shorter development times. Examples might include the determination of shelf-lives for products in general, as well as determining the stability of individual ingredients such as natural coloring. Determining shelf-life is of particular importance because many foods are discarded while still edible and only because the "best before" date has expired. The high rate of food waste also impacts global climate as greenhouse gases are also produced. Thus, the food industry is forced to provide ever more accurate stability data.