1. Food Product Development

2. New food products don't just happen — they must be carefully planned and then tested before they reach the consumer.

3. Design Brief

4. Steps in the design brief

5. Design Brief
This should be established for new products once a concept is developed. It enables a food manufacturer to define consumer market requirements and the price the market will pay for a specific food product.
A key component is a manufacturer’s mission statement, which sets out goals and policies and provides guidance for new product development.

6. 1. Idea Generation and Screening
Recording of ideas for a N.F.P.
Screening the ideas by selecting the best idea by seeing which one fits into the company the best.

7. 2. Market Research
Is an organized way of asking consumers what they want and need and their thoughts on existing products. This can be done through surveys, focus groups or field observations.
Segments are grouped according to:
Physical Features e.g. size of the market and demographics or
Purchasing behaviour e.g. reasons for buying and influences on buying.
There are two types of research:
Primary Research which involves gathering original data from surveys etc
Secondary Research which involves investigation what others have found in their primary research
There are two types of sampling methods:
Non-Probability which includes Convenience sampling, Volunteer sampling, Judgmental sampling (deliberate)
Quota sampling and Probability (picking via numbers and chance) which includes simple random sampling and stratified random sampling.
Once the research is conducted the data must be analyzed.

8. Qualitative Research
Two techniques are commonly used in qualitative research:
in-depth interviews
focus groups (sometimes called buying panels)
In both cases an experienced researcher trained in the technique will engage the individual or group in a series of structured discussions to gain insights into subjective aspects of consumer behaviour (perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, values etc).
Advertisers can use this technique to gauge consumer reactions to different styles or types of packaging or to help create a consumer profile for a particular market segment
Qualitative research ties to answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions.

9. Quantitative research
Quantitative research, is concerned with the collection of data for statistical analysis. This type of research considers objective (factual) information such as the size and composition of markets, demographics and sales figure.
Two of the most important data collection methods in the food industry are:
Scanning technology: Sales at the checkout are registered using barcodes (formally termed universal product codes [UPCs] which, in conjunction with customer loyalty cards, provide large amounts of consumer purchasing data.
Internet use: Provides information relating not only to actual purchases but also browsing behaviour.
Quantitative research tries to answer ‘where’, ‘when’ and ‘how many’ questions.

10. 3. Product specifications
Is an accurate and comprehensive description of what the manufacturer plans to deliver to a target market (consistency).
Lists all the requirements and constraints for production.
Also describes packaging dimensions, materials and labelling as well as the storage conditions.
Includes a pricing strategy.

11. 4. Feasibility study
This establishes if the product is profitable. There are two types of feasibility studies:
Financial Feasibility: Determines whether the costs of production and the sales forecast will achieve a break-even point.
Technical Feasibility: The ability of the company to make the new product using existing resources e.g. availability of ingredients, new processes, costs of ingredients and microbiological safety tests.

12. 5. Development of a production process
Converting the factory to make the new products - line extension products only need small changes. If the product is new then the equipment and factory layout need to be altered.
Quality Control aims to ensure the highest quality of the product. Quality Assurance is the entire company working together to maintain maximum quality.

13. 6. Development of a prototype
A prototype is a trial product and extensive experiments are carried out on prototypes to ensure they can stand production. The prototype recipe is converted into commercial batch size.
Packaging must withstand the rigours of processing but be able to fit on the production line as well as provide protection for the product.
Careful screening takes place which includes: sensory evaluations, market tests, packaging tests and storage tests.

14. 7. Testing the prototype
The new food product needs to be tested to see if it satisfies the A.F.S.C or approved by AQIS.
Packaging tests are also conducted to determine the exact shelf-life, package strength, whether it can handle distribution and other characteristics.
Consumer testing must also be done and if everything is fine then the product is ready for commercialization.