Food Flavors and Consumption Trends: Predicting Consumer Consumption Trends

Carol Karahadian, PhD

VP Global Flavor Sensory and Consumer Research

Firmenich, Inc. Conferencista IUFoST

Food and beverage choices made by the consumer are highly dependent on their heritage,

experiences and concerns. We can have a clear vision of the future by understanding our past

and observing the now. When adding the emotional link to the ever growing trend towards

wellbeing, we can predict concrete insights for tomorrow.

This presentation will explore how flavors can address the upcoming trend of longevity - the

growing aging populations desire to live a longer and healthier life. Products containing

ingredients that promote health and wellness have become front and center for many food

manufacturers. Sales confirm that consumers are switching to products that are positioned to

promote better health through consumption of increased levels of antioxidants, aids for

digestion, stress releasers, heart healthy ingredients and energy boosters to name a few.

Consequently, foods that contain these ingredients become quite popular in the product

development process. What is fascinating is that consumers perceive health attributes via a

flavor; independent upon whether or not the food contains the actual active ingredient.
Firmenich sensory studies suggest that the US consumer choose products with certain flavors

due to their association to healthy/good for you positioning. By highlighting the global

consumer megatrend - wellbeing we can link the learnings from the US to other parts of the

world. Join us as we take you through the methodologies and present the data used to

validate our crystal ball predictions.

Dr. Carol Karahadian is Vice President, Global Sensory and Consumer Research for the

Flavor Division at Firmenich. She is currently located in Princeton, New Jersey USA where she

manages sensory and consumer testing services in all global markets for the Flavor Division.

Prior to joining Firmenich, Dr. Karahadian was a faculty member at Purdue University and the

University of Maryland where she taught courses in flavor chemistry and sensory evaluation

and carried on active research programs. She obtained her BS degree from the University of

California, Davis in food science and her MS and Ph.D. degrees in food science with an emphasis

in flavor chemistry and sensory evaluation from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She has

been an active member of the Sensory Evaluation Division of IFT and the American Chemical

Society. Address: Firmenich, Inc. 250 Plainsboro Road, Plainsboro, NJ 08536; Tele: +1 609 580

4465; carol.karahadian@firmenich.com