Food Product Design

Food Product Design: From Consumer-Driven Innovation to Blue Sky Innovation

• Food product design focuses on thinking rather than trial and error, starting from raw materials.
• Consumers are the most important factor today, and their perceived quality drives their purchasing decisions.
• Food categories cannot be invented, and products must be designed with a target consumer in mind.
• Societal trends, such as sustainability, influence new product development.
• The goal of idea generation is to be unique, not better, and products should have a clear target and personality.
• Three specific rules for successful products include belonging to the respective food category, beating the best or being as good, and excelling in one specific need of the target.
• General technological strategies for innovation include modification of starting materials, adaptation of processing, and formulation solutions.
• Specific strategies for innovation include me-too, line extensions, repositioned existing products, new forms of existing products, reformulation of existing products, new packaging of existing products, use of innovative ingredients, and blue sky innovation.
• Me-too and line extensions involve low-level innovation or copying others.
• Repositioned existing products involve changing a traditional product to meet a new need.
• New forms of existing products involve changing the form of a product, such as from canned to dried soup.
• Blue sky innovation involves more rigorous changes, such as cell agriculture opportunities.

Test your knowledge on food product design with this quiz! Learn about the importance of consumer-driven innovation, societal trends, and specific strategies for innovation. Discover the rules for successful products and the general and specific technological strategies for innovation. Test your understanding of me-too, line extensions, repositioned existing products, new forms of existing products, reformulation of existing products, new packaging of existing products, use of innovative ingredients, and blue sky innovation. Sharpen your skills on innovation in the food industry with