Consumer Understanding and Behaviour

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The business of “healthy eating” can be tricky and a better understanding the psychology of health behavior is a great asset when you develop novel health foods. In this course we will take a look at the basic psychological concepts that account for individual consumer behaviour and demonstrate how these concepts can be applied to the context of (health) food products. The discussion and study material will be organised around the consumer's purchase and consumption process, going from need recognition to actual consumption. Furthermore, at the end of the course, you will understand how emotions, perceptions, expectations, and context can often lead people astray. The course consists of lectures and tutorial sessions. The lectures will be given by academic researchers and deal with topics such as food innovation, obesity, food temptations etc. The tutorial sessions fulfill the purpose to discuss central aspects of consumer behaviour such as, for instance, beliefs, self-control, and social influence.