Key facts
Start date: Wednesday, 21 June 2023 (In-person). Online course: Any time.
Cost: $782 per person, including GST
Duration: One day
Delivery mode: Online and in-person
Time commitment: 7 hours
Location: In-person on the Manawatū campus
Overview
You can study this short course in person at our Manawatū campus in Palmerston North or online in your own time. Registrations for the online course are open year-round.
This course looks at the why, who, what, where and when of consumer product testing. It is designed as a follow-on course to our Introduction to Sensory Evaluation short course.
Introduction to Sensory Evaluation
Who this course is for
This course is for people:
- whose role involves consumer testing, market research, quality assurance, product development
- working alongside these industry functions.
What you'll get
Professional development certificate
Learning outcomes
- Describe quantitative techniques for determining consumer liking and emotional response to food products.
- Develop effective questionnaires for use with consumers.
- Describe qualitative techniques to probe consumer opinions and behaviour.
Course content and structure
In-person
Networking with tutors and other attendees and experiencing our labs make our on-site courses truly interactive. Lessons are a mix of theory and practical, including:
- quantitative and qualitative techniques
- why test with consumers
- what can we measure: preference, liking, emotional response, purchase intent, and sensory attributes
- who should be on your consumer panel
- where and when to carry out consumer testing.
Online
Massey University's Food Experience and Sensory Testing laboratory (FEAST) has developed fully interactive online versions of our one-day training courses. The course materials are delivered in a variety of ways:
- reading material online
- interactive learning objects
- online video presentations
- online interactive sensory booths.
You will have access to our online library for the duration of your course, where you can contact the course tutor for help.
You will have four weeks to complete the course material from an agreed start date.

Food Experience and Sensory Testing laboratory (FEAST)
FEAST is a hub for sensory and consumer research, training and consultancy. With New Zealand's only mixed-reality immersive room in a consumer testing lab, we can mimic different eating places such as a café, hospital ward or home, etc., while scientifically controlled. Users can also experience food in non-lab environments through mixed reality glasses (HoloLens).
Meet your facilitator

Professor Joanne Hort
Registrations
In-person
Registration for one person is $782.
If you're registering a group from a single company, the first registration is full-price, but subsequent registrations have a 10% discount.
Register for evaluating consumer response in person
Online
You can register for the online course at any time. Indicate your preferred start date when you complete the form. If multiple people from your company will attend online, register separately and state a similar start date.
You will have four weeks to complete the course material from the start date.
Once registered, you will receive an online pack and secure access codes to the online course.
It should only take about 7 hours to complete, so you can set aside a day, two half-days or work through at half an hour or so a night if you wish – whatever mode of study suits you.
Please know that we need time to process your registration and send you your online pack. If sending a parcel isn't feasible we'll offer an alternative activity. Once everything is all set up, you can start your online training.
Other short courses you might like
Getting the Most Out of the Sensory & Consumer Toolbox
This course provides a basic introduction to sensory and consumer science for the food industry. The course focuses on best practices and the types of information you'll get from sensory and consumer testing.
Introduction to Sensory Evaluation
This is an interactive course with a mix of theory and practical lessons. The course focuses on measuring the sensory attributes of food and introduces sensory evaluation techniques for the food industry.
Quality Assurance & Control
This interactive course is a mix of theory and practical lessons. It is an introduction to how to apply sensory evaluation in the context of quality assurance for the food industry.