322 Consumer sensory cues in pet food selection

Pet food selection is important for 67% of households in the US. The objective of this presentation is to review the consumer sensory cues in pet food selection. The pet owner and the pet decide pet food selection. The pet owner will make the initial decision, while the pet makes the confirmatory decision. This will either lead to rejection or acceptance of the food. The initial decision might depend on a number of factors, such as price, brand, ingredients, processing, packaging and availability. The sensory cues that might influence this are aroma, color, shape, and size of the food. For the pet, these include aroma and flavor, as well as the texture characteristics of the food. Examples of research studies will be given and gaps and future research opportunities will be outlined.