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The Food Chain

Factual: Food & Drink

Examining what it takes to put food on your plate

The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate.

The taste test

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The Food Chain: The taste test

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14/09/2023 GMT

BBC World Service - The Food Chain, The taste test

How much power does the consumer really have?

Consumers have the buying power but how much are they considered when a brand decides to make a change?  

In this edition of The Food Chain Ruth Alexander takes a look at what goes into developing some of the products we know and love.  

We travel to the northwest of England to a consumer taste testing facility, Wirral Sensory Services. Such businesses would have been few and far between just decades ago but now they’re a big part of the research process when brands look to launch new products or make changes to existing ones.  

Consumer expert Dr Sara Jaeger tells us about the benefits and the limitations of these tests and business consultant Samuel West talks us through some of the most well know failures in food. 

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk 

Presenter: Ruth Alexander  

Producer: Hannah Mullane 

(Image: a woman blindfolded, sat in front of a pizza. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

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