How is a new food product designed, tested and brought to market?
The stages of food product development - the brief and market research, concept generation, prototype development, sensory and other testing, evaluation against the brief, and launch - and the research techniques used to gather and analyse consumer information.
An SQA Higher Health and Food Technology answer on the food product development process, covering the brief and market research, concept generation, prototype development, sensory and other testing, evaluation and launch, and the research techniques used.
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What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to describe the stages of developing a new food product - from the brief through to launch - and the research techniques used to gather and analyse consumer information. This is the strand that ties the whole course together, and it underpins the course assignment.
The development process, stage by stage
- 1. The brief and market research
- A brief states the aim and the constraints - the target group, a price range, nutritional targets and any other requirement. Market research identifies a gap in the market and what consumers want, using surveys and analysis of competitor products.
- 2. Concept generation
- A range of ideas is generated to meet the brief, then screened against it (cost, feasibility, fit with the target group) so the most promising ideas go forward.
- 3. Prototype development
- Sample products (prototypes) are made and refined, adjusting ingredients, proportions and methods. The developer uses the functional properties of ingredients to control texture and structure and to solve problems.
- 4. Testing
- Prototypes are tested with sensory testing (a panel judging taste, texture, appearance and smell), plus nutritional analysis (to meet dietary targets), cost analysis, shelf-life trials and safety/hygiene checks.
- 5. Evaluation against the brief
- Results are judged against the original brief, and the product is modified or improved - the loop back to prototype and test repeats until it meets the brief.
- 6. Launch
- The finished product is given suitable packaging and legal labelling, priced and marketed, and launched - often after a trial in selected stores to gauge response.
Research techniques
Common techniques:
- Surveys and questionnaires - questions given to many consumers to gather quantitative data on preferences and habits; cheap and wide-reaching.
- Interviews and focus groups - discussion giving rich qualitative insight into attitudes and reasons.
- Observation - watching what consumers actually buy or how they use a product.
- Sensory testing - panels judging the sensory qualities of prototypes (see below).
- Cost and nutritional analysis - working out the cost per portion and the nutritional profile against the brief.
Sensory testing
Sensory results, presented in tables, bar charts or star (radar) profiles, tell the developer which prototype to take forward and what to improve.
Examples in context
Example 1. Reformulating to meet a sugar target. When companies developed lower-sugar cereals and drinks, they followed exactly this process - a brief driven by health policy, prototypes adjusted for taste, and sensory panels confirming consumers still liked the product before launch.
Example 2. The SQA assignment. The course assignment mirrors this process: candidates respond to a brief, carry out research using more than one technique, develop and test a product (including sensory testing), and evaluate it against the brief - which is why this key area underpins the practical coursework.
Try this
Q1. List, in order, the main stages of food product development. [3 marks]
- Cue. Brief and market research; concept generation; prototype development; testing; evaluation against the brief; launch.
Q2. Name one quantitative and one qualitative research technique. [2 marks]
- Cue. Quantitative: survey/questionnaire. Qualitative: interview or focus group.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA Higher (specimen)6 marksDescribe the main stages a manufacturer follows to develop a new food product, from the brief to launch.Show worked answer →
A 6-mark describe answer should move through the stages in order with what happens at each.
The brief and market research: a brief sets the aim and constraints (target group, cost, nutrition). Market research (surveys, gap-in-the-market analysis) finds what consumers want.
Concept generation: a range of product ideas is generated, then screened against the brief, and the best are taken forward.
Prototype development: sample products are made and refined, adjusting ingredients, proportions and methods. Functional properties are considered to get the right texture and structure.
Testing: prototypes are tested - sensory testing with a panel for taste, texture, appearance and smell, plus nutritional analysis, cost analysis, shelf-life and safety checks.
Evaluation against the brief: results are judged against the original brief, and the product is improved or modified.
Launch: the finished product is packaged, labelled (meeting legal requirements), priced, marketed and launched, often after a trial in selected stores.
Markers reward the stages in a logical order, each with a brief description of what is done.
SQA Higher (past paper style)5 marksDescribe two research techniques a developer could use to gather consumer information, and explain one sensory test used on a prototype.Show worked answer →
A 5-mark answer needs two research techniques and one sensory test explained.
Research techniques (any two):
- Surveys or questionnaires: a set of questions given to many consumers to gather quantitative data on preferences, habits and what they want from a product; cheap and reaches many people.
- Interviews: one-to-one or focus-group discussion giving deeper, qualitative insight into why consumers feel as they do.
- Other valid techniques: observation, taste panels, and cost or nutritional analysis of existing products.
Sensory test: a preference (or hedonic) test asks tasters to rate how much they like a product, often on a scale, so the developer can compare prototypes. Alternatively a ranking test puts samples in order of a quality (such as sweetness), and a discrimination test (triangle test) checks whether tasters can tell two samples apart. Tests should be done in fair conditions (coded samples, separate booths, water between samples) to be reliable.
Markers reward two correctly described research techniques and one sensory test explained with the idea of fair, controlled conditions.
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