Thomas Brunner

• Dr.
• Professor at Bern University of Applied Sciences

Purpose Wine consumption is declining, while cannabis use among young adults in Germany has surged. With new laws partially legalising recreational cannabis, advocates claim it could replace alcohol, offering health benefits and cost savings. However, concerns remain that cannabis might increase alcohol consumption and associated health risks. Desp...

The cost of living and energy prices in particular have risen sharply since April 2022. Some sections of the population had to adjust their standard of living, which can affect food safety. This study looked at this issue and surveyed more than 1,200 people in Switzerland in early February 2024 on their behaviour. More than half of those surveyed s...

Objective This study aims to disclose and compare meat consumer segments in Switzerland and Vietnam, which differ in terms of their socioeconomic and cultural settings (the former is a developed country, and the latter is an emerging one) to develop a set of segment-specific recommendations that might be applied to consumption in comparable context...

Meat loss and waste are estimated at each stage along the food chain, but the methods used are complex, and the data needed are often fragmented. We, therefore, evaluated the feasibility of estimating meat loss and waste using a simpler method comparing meat availability and consumption, using Swiss meat consumption according to a national nutritio...

Meat loss and waste are estimated at each stage along the food chain, but the methods used are complex and the data needed often fragmented. We, therefore, evaluated the feasibility of estimating meat loss and waste using a simpler method comparing meat availability and consumption, using Swiss meat consumption according to a national nutrition sur...

High meat consumption is a phenomenon in both developed countries such as Switzerland and emerging countries such as Vietnam. This high meat consumption is associated with environmental, social, and health consequences. Drawing upon social practice theory, this study explores the influence of social practices on the meat consumption of green consum...

This study aimed to examine the various Swiss wine consumer segments, evaluate whether and how these segments had changed during the past decade, and formulate recommendations for targeted marketing. Data were collected through an online survey involving randomly selected Swiss households who were invited using flyers; the final sample size was N =...

To date, there is no evidence on how food user value influences the intention to waste food at home. We experimentally tested the influence of the freshness of tomatoes and them being grown in/on one’s garden/balcony on the intention to waste tomatoes at home (n = 454). We uncovered a significantly lower intention to waste them if they were describ...

The interest in use of insects for human food has also resulted in the appearance of insect-based dog and cat food products in the market. Insect-based pet food producers are using several health and sustainability claims for marketing purposes, which are expected to be the main drivers of market growth in the near future. In this paper, we systema...

Although insects have long been part of the human diet in many countries, they are poorly received and accepted in European and North American countries. Therefore, this cross-sectional observational study, based on a structured questionnaire, aimed to evaluate the level of acceptability of entomophagy among young adults in a Swiss university conte...

This research measured consumers’ emotions and change in emotion to the specific sensory taste properties and attitudes of chocolate-based biscuits. The sample size involved 216 respondents from South Africa (n = 106) and Switzerland (n = 110). Respondents tasted chocolate-based biscuits and completed an online questionnaire. The increase in consum...

Increasing interest in healthy habits has created the market for what is commonly called “superfoods.” The goal of this study was to explore Swiss consumers’ initial and final attitudes toward superfoods as well as their change in attitude toward those foods after being provided selected information. A questionnaire survey was conducted to explore...

This study aimed to better understand consumers’ perceptions toward superfoods, to reveal segments of consumers, and to describe their behavioral patterns and sociodemographic characteristics. Data were collected from a mail survey (n = 423). Consumer segmentation revealed six segments. The “superfoodies” (13%) showed a more positive attitude towar...

The aim of this study was to assess the behaviour of Swiss students regarding meat consumption by analysing their current consumption habits, attitudes and knowledge, acceptance of meat alternatives and willingness to reduce meat intake. Data were collected through an online survey conducted in universities and universities of applied sciences amon...

The aim of this study was to identify consumer groups regarding meat and meat alternatives, which are homogeneous in themselves but very different from one another. To date, the literature has analysed the attitudes towards, and the motives behind, the consumption of meat and meat alternatives. However, segmentation research portraying homogeneous...

The goal of this study was to identify the drivers for the consumption of superfoods. A comprehensive (paper-and-pencil) survey was mailed to German- and French-speaking Swiss residents, yielding a final sample size of N = 442. A multiple regression, using the backward elimination method, was applied to verify the influence of 18 predictors, includ...

Individuals exposed to dieting-related environmental cues have been repeatedly shown to be better able to resist tempting food. This especially applies to restrained eaters who hold a chronic dieting goal. Thus far, mainly short-term effects of environmental dieting cues have been examined and the individuals were typically unaware of being influen...

This study aimed to examine consumers’ motives for eating and choosing sweet baked products (SBPs). A cross-cultural segmentation study on a South African (SA) and Swiss population sample (n = 216), was implemented using the Motivation for Eating Scale (MFES) and the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ). Cluster analyses provided three consumer segments...

The objective of this study was to understand the priorities and motives of Swiss consumers when choosing and buying fluid milk and to provide evidence-based recommendations for the development of target product concepts and category adaptations. Data were collected through a postal survey sent to a randomly selected sample of German-speaking Swiss...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of the market for sustainably produced domestic products by categorising consumers into homogeneous groups. Thereby, the role of sustainability in the purchase of domestic products should also be identified. Design/methodology/approach Paper-and-pencil questionnaires were sent to...

The 3D-printing technology, or additive manufacturing, is a technology that originated in the 1980s and was primarily used in the prototyping industry. The use of this technology in the food industry is, however, rather new. Even though the challenges regarding the use of this technology have been tackled, little is known about how consumers percei...

Growing negative changes cause a deterioration in food quality, which makes people select organic and eco-intelligent food. The aim of the article is to analyze various types of customer behavior using an example of a local catering company that offers eco-intelligent food. The company’s brand operates two catering stores located in different parts...

Breakfast has long been described as the most important meal of the day. While breakfast habits and their consequences on children's health and performance are well documented, studies on the adult population are lacking. The present study will fill this gap, providing a comprehensive picture of the Swiss breakfast habits and insights into the dete...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to indicate the need for and create an insightful understanding of the current factors contributing to consumer’s obesity levels due to their snack choices. Design/methodology/approach This paper reports on previous literature using publications from the Emerald Insight Journals, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect a...

Purpose: During the first years of life, food preferences are shaped that might last throughout a person's entire life affecting his/her health in the long term. However, knowledge on early feeding habits is still limited for toddlers. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to: (1) assess toddlers' nutrient intake; (2) compare the findings t...

The aim of this study was to identify consumer groups regarding meat and meat alternatives. The existing literature has so far analysed the attitudes towards and motives behind the consumption of meat and meat alternatives. What is missing is a segmentation study that portrays consumer groups that are consuming or would be willing to consume meat a...

The article reveals unsettled reasons of changing in the children's food market. Various political, economic, demographic, sociological, natural, and technological forces are extensively used in the paper to examine the external influence on the market. The aim of the research is a consequent evaluation of children's food production factors on the...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to quantify household food waste by using two different methods. A comparison of the results highlights a divergence between the perceived contribution to the problem and more objective measurements. Design/methodology/approach Self-reported quantities, collected by means of a postal survey sent out to a rand...

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, offers a wide range of new possibilities within the food industry. From the realisation of complex food designs to the automated preparation of personalised meals, 3D printers promise many innovations in the food manufacturing, retail and catering sectors. Because the successful launch of foods mad...

A great deal of attention has been dedicated to entomophagy (i.e., the eating of insects) in Western Europe in the last few years. Several studies have accounted for the importance of entomophagy, the evaluation of insects’ nutritional benefits, and their potential for the market. Specifically, predictors of the acceptance and consumption of edible...

The aim of this study was to better understand the attitudes, perceptions and behaviours of the Swiss towards the food waste generated within their households and to provide suggestions of targeted measures to tackle the problem effectively. Data were collected through a postal survey sent out to a randomly selected sample of 3834 German- and Frenc...

Thin, human-like sculptures by the artist Alberto Giacometti, applied as environmental cues, have been found to facilitate dieting by reducing chocolate intake and promoting healthy snack choices. However, the processes underlying this “Giacometti effect” have been left unexplored so far. The present study therefore first examines the effortlessnes...

More and more consumers are willing to pay a premium for fair trade products. However, great potential remains as the market shares of these products are still low. In the present study, neutralization theory was applied to investigate the reasons for consumers hesitating to buy more fair trade products. A postal paper-and-pencil survey was sent ou...

Plenty of studies have demonstrated that effort influences food choice. However, few have been conducted to analyze the effect of effort on consumption volume. Moreover, the few studies that have measured consumption volume all have strong limitations. The goal of the present paper is to disentangle confounding variables in earlier research and to...

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between social value orientation and energy conservation over different energy consumption domains. Additionally, the impact of type of energy conservation measure (curtailment vs. energy efficiency) was investigated. Data were derived from a mail survey of Swiss households (N = 1,209). It w...

This research investigated the influence of weight-related cues on food intake. The first study used a screensaver showing three of the famous skinny human-like sculptures by Alberto Giacometti and found that participants in this condition consumed less chocolate than when they were exposed to a more neutral work of art. In the second study, partic...

Purpose Nanotechnology has great potential in the food industry. The goal of this study is to identify food applications that are more likely and food applications that are less likely to be accepted by the public. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted in México and was a replica of a study conducted in Switzerland. Another goal is t...

Dyads composed of unacquainted females (n=82) watched a cartoon while consuming salty aperitif snacks. The Affective Communication Test was used to measure nonverbal expressiveness. Computing intraclass correlation coefficients, the extent to which participants within dyads matched each other's food intake was analyzed. Food intake matched highly f...

The present paper aims to identify and describe different types of energy consumers in a more comprehensive way than previous segmentation studies using cluster analysis. Energy consumers were segmented based on their energy-related behavioral characteristics. In addition to purchase- and curtailment-related energy-saving behavior, consumer classif...

One of the most prominent characteristics of fast food and take-away food is that it is convenient, meaning that it saves time, it reduces the required effort for food provisioning and culinary skills are transferred. Studies that investigate the unique effect of these factors on dietary behaviours are lacking. Therefore, the present study aimed to...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the lifestyle determinants motivating wine consumption and the amount spent on it, as sales and profits depend largely on a sound knowledge of them. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered by means of a postal paper‐and‐pencil survey sent out to randomly chosen addresses from the telephone bo...

Purpose The main objectives of this study are to develop a comprehensive questionnaire and to analyze the nature of wine market segments. Past research has focused on involvement, lifestyle or motives as segmentation criteria. The present study seeks to combine all three perspectives. Design/methodology/approach A postal paper‐and‐pencil survey wa...

Consumers observe many stimuli in the environment when they choose or consume foods. These external stimuli can be differentiated as having a direct or indirect effect on people. Direct stimuli aim to influence consumers’ perception of a product (e.g., its expected taste) and their food choice. Nutrition labels, for example, aim to help consumers t...

Convenience is one of the big trends in the food business. The demand for convenience food products is steadily increasing; therefore, understanding convenience food consumption is an important issue. Despite being vital properties of convenience food, saving time and effort have not been very successful constructs for predicting convenience food c...

In a standard modeling experiment, a naïve participant eats in the presence of an experimental confederate who has been instructed to eat a lot or a little. Results from such experiments show that people eat more when eating companions eat more and less when eating companions eat less. This modeling effect has been shown to be highly powerful. In t...

The ready-meal market has grown considerably in recent years. At the same time, a degradation of traditional cooking skills has been observed. Ready meals are often rich in energy, fat and sugar and lack vegetables; however, studies investigating associations between ready-meal consumption, overweight and cooking skills are lacking. The present stu...

Purpose Customer satisfaction and image are important factors for service companies because of their impact on loyalty. Although much research has looked at the relationship of both of these factors individually, little is known about them when they are considered together. Furthermore, experience with the service or product has largely been neglec...

By means of a relatively new eye-tracking method that allows for a test situation much closer to reality, we recorded and examined gaze time and fixation number within the cancellation and focus paradigm, a feature-matching model for preference judgments between two alternatives. In line with the cancellation and focus model we found that when subj...

Recall combined with feature-importance is introduced as the underlying process of the Cancellation and Focus model and of preference judgments in general. Various memory-based process models are tested and evaluated in a series of three studies. Mere recall was not sufficient in predicting participants' preference ratings. However, two models in w...

In 3 studies, consumers received information about products that had either positive or negative features in common. When they evaluated the products shortly afterward, the common features had little influence on their evaluations, and this was true regardless of whether they had made a preference rating, a similarity rating, or no rating at all be...