Key facts
Start date: Online course: Any time. In-person course: Thursday 13 November 2025.
Cost: $782 per person, including GST
Duration: 4 weeks
Delivery mode: Online or in person
Time commitment: 7 hours
Location: Online or 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
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.
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).
Location: Manawatū
Meet your facilitator
Professor Joanne Hort
Joanne Hort is a food science academic specialising in sensory science. Joanne's research focuses on understanding factors affecting consumer perception of food and beverages, and consequent choice behaviour. She is the Fonterra-Riddet Chair of Consumer and Sensory Science.
Registrations
In person
Register for the Evaluating Consumer Response in-person course
Attend all 3 Feast short courses and receive an 10% discount
If you attend the Introduction to Sensory Evaluation, Quality Assurance and Control, and Evaluating Consumer Response in-person courses offered by the Food Experience and Sensory Testing laboratory (Feast) you will receive an 10% discount.
Register and pay for all 3 Feast short courses
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
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.