The Swansea Nutrition, Appetite and Cognition (SNAC) research group is based within the Psychology Department at Swansea University. We conduct research and evaluation projects focusing on consumer acceptability of food products at different stages of development, including:
- Investigating general perceptions of certain ingredients or product formats.
- Evaluating drivers of consumer acceptability and if consumers are making trade-offs between product properties.
- Understanding how consumers interact with products. For example: portion sizing, if it is filling, and product preference over time.
- Considering how different groups of people receive a food product. This could include diverse representation from across society as well as people with different psychological traits (such as food fussiness).
We are particularly keen on partnering with organisations interested in contributing to a healthy sustainable food system, and we can partner in various ways to support collaborative projects including consultancy, utilising government funding initiatives such as SMART partnerships, KTPs, Innovate UK, etc.
At BlasCymru/TasteWales 2021 we will be:
- Sharing findings from a recent project with NutriWales Cluster which focused on consumer perceptions and acceptability of algae-based products. (Funded by ESRC).
- Announcing a community-facing research project that will support engagement with underrepresented groups in sustainable eating and ensuring that the food system serves everybody.
- Discussing how the SNAC team can support organisations to develop and exploit food system RD&I based on high–quality research that draws on validated methodologies, contemporary theory and robust analyses.
You can contact us via Dr. Laura Wilkinson (L.L.Wilkinson@swansea.ac.uk) and follow our research and evaluation updates on Twitter @SnacGroup.