SENSORY and CONSUMER SCIENCE
OPEN PANEL
Are you looking to solve problems in your execution of sensory and or consumer research?
Or are you looking for greater efficiencies?
Take the opportunity to address your questions to our expert panel.
Thursday, 27th October 2022
1.00pm - 2.30pm AEDT (Sydney time)
The Panel of sensory and consumer science experts with many years of experience in their areas of application from academia, commercial research to food manufacture. Members of the panel include:
- Anne Hasted (Senior Statistician, Qi Statistics Ltd),
- Jodie Hill (Research Director, Sensory Solutions),
- Annesley Watson (AIFST Fellow)
- Rozlynne Clarke (Sensory Manager, Goodman Fielder)
- Lukas Danner (Team Leader, CSIRO)
- Dr Sue Bastian (Associate Professor Oenology and Sensory Studies. University of Adelaide)
- Dr Cathy Gair (Director of Research and Sensory, T Garage)
If you have questions for the panel, please email these to aifst@aifst.com.au by 20th October so that the panel members can consider them and prepare answers.
All webinar attendees will have a chance to add to or expand on panel responses as this is an open panel.
If you need a prompt for the kinds of questions that might be answered, here are a few:
- “How can I build sustainability into my sensory program?”
- “I want to keep my costs down for consumer research. Can I do this by reducing panel size without compromising the quality of the results?
- “What are some cost-effective ways of maintaining the interest and enthusiasm of internal quality panel members?”
Remember this is a panel that is open to all questions dealing with any issues in conducting sensory and consumer insights work at all levels in food product development and quality management.
We look forward to discussing your issues and potentially providing some solutions.
Please note that there may not be sufficient time on the day to address all questions posed, but they will be dealt with, and responses supplied at a later date. You will all be informed when this is available, so watch for the news.
About the panel:
Anne Hasted: Anne started her career as an academic statistician in the Department of Applied Statistics at the University of Reading, leaving to set up Qi Statistics in 1989. She has a broad range of experience in industry (particularly in food, petrochemicals and packaging) and is a recognised expert on applications of statistical methods in the field of sensory and consumer research. She is co-developer with Hal Macfie of a successful programme of “hands on” training courses for sensory and consumer researchers which are recognised worldwide. Anne holds the position of Senior Statistical Consultant.
Annesley Watson:
Annesley Watson is a Fellow of AIFST and a Food Science and Technology graduate of the University of New South Wales. She is now retired after a 40+ year career which followed a passion for sensory and consumer science which she applied in academia (UNSW) and the food industry – brewing (Tooheys), baking (Arnott’s) and finally snackfoods & beverages (Pepsico).
Annesley has been an active member of AIFST since her undergraduate days, filling a number of roles in the NSW branch and co-founding the initial Sensory group. Over the years she has always been keen to help other members’ development, generally though supporting meetings and the annual conference, but most specifically in Sensory and Consumer Science, working with others to provide meetings, workshops and symposia. More recently, she was involved in helping to get the new Mentoring program up and running and has mentored two members in developing their careers.
Rozlynne Clarke: brings over 25 years of industry experience to share which whilst predominantly focused in Australia, including Arnhem Land, has taken her overseas including the United States, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Fiji.
Throughout her career, Roz has had the highly enviable task of taste-testing prototypes of some of Australia's iconic foods from Campbell Soup Company, the Arnott's Group and Goodman Fielder, and has completed myriad quantitative and qualitative research studies. Roz is currently researching product development for the ever diverse Goodman Fielder portfolio including familiar brands Helga’s, Wonder White, Praise, LaFamiglia, White Wings, MeadowLea and new vegan brand Plantry.
Jodie Hill: started her career as a Food Technologist and Research Scientist at the CSIRO studying off-odours and taints in food packaging. Moving into the commercial world, Jodie took a role as a leading member of a Sensory and Product Guidance Team in a global FMCG environment. Here, she gained sound experience and understanding of the requirements for guiding a cross-functional team from concept research to final consumer research, including the use of in-house sensory panels within the product development process.
With a keen interest in current and cutting edge research techniques and a passion for extending the boundaries of sensory research, Jodie has gone from working within an FMCG environment, to designing and managing consumer research for major FMCG companies from an external perspective. It is this thorough understanding and wealth of experience, combined with a real-world focus, which makes Jodie such a success in the development of quantitative and qualitative consumer research.
Jodie has been with Sensory Solutions since 2003 and is certified as a Qualified Professional Researcher (QPR) which is peer group recognition by the Market Research Industry’s peak body. Jodie is also a long term member of AIFST and involved with both the NSW branch and the Sensory & Consumer committee and is a Fellow of the AIFST.
Lukas Danner: is a senior research scientist and Team leader of the Sensory and Consumer Science Team in CSIRO - Agriculture and Food. He has a Master’s degree in food science and technology and continued to specialise in sensory and consumer science throughout his PhD which he successfully completed in 2014.
In his different positions as a researcher and lecturer, he worked on a wide variety of food sensory related projects, ranging from the development and validation of sensory methods, over the investigation of consumers’ perception of food products, to food product development.
Lukas' current research includes:
• the investigation of consumers' sensory perception of food and how these perceptions are related to consumers' preferences, emotions, and ultimately choice.
• understanding consumers' motivations, needs and barriers adopting healthy and sustainable diets.
• linking chemical composition of the products with their sensory properties.
• investigate how information and context (situation) influences consumers’ perception of food and beverages
• development and validation of new/rapid sensory methodologies to objectively characterise the sensory properties of food products and beverages.
Dr Sue Bastian: BSc (hons), PhD, Grad Dip Oenology| Oenology Academic | Winemaker Sue is Associate Professor in Oenology and Sensory Studies at the University of Adelaide; and internationally recognised wine, sensory and consumer scientist. Her group undertakes innovative research along the grape-wine value chain recently examining: terroir of Australian Shiraz; vegetable-protein fining-agents; novel, polyphenol-extraction; hybrid/non-saccharomyces yeast; emerging grape varieties; wine-food interactions and astringency perception and mouthfeel exploring no/low alcohol beer and wine and the role of salivary proteins, oral microbiome and genetics of mouthfeel; and Virtual Reality. Food research has included tea, chocolate, eggs, chicken, cheese, abalone and oysters. She has 120 peer reviewed publications and 20 years university winemaking and sensory teaching experience in Australia, France, China and NZ. She has supervised 64 PhD, Masters and Honours students, is a wine judge, an editorial board member for the OenoOne journal and International Viticulture and Enology Society technical reviews Associate Editor.
Dr Cathy Gair: a sensory specialist who brings over 25 years of expertise from working for FMCG manufacturers in Research & Development and as a Sensory Insights Consultant.
With a love of food and wine, food has always been part of Cathy’s DNA. She studied Food Technology before completing a PhD in Sensory Research and starting up a successful Australian sensory research consultancy.
Cathy works as the conduit between the consumer and the R&D and Marketing functions and has helped bring numerous successful new products to market over the years. She thrives on getting to the heart of what consumers expect and want in a product and interpreting their wishes to generate actionable outcomes for the industry.
Working on a diverse range of products across numerous local Australian and Global brands has given Cathy the depth of experience and breadth of knowledge to address a broad range of innovation challenges.
