Product design to enhance consumer liking of cull ewe meat

The global sheepmeat industry aspires to increase consumer liking for cull ewe meat and thereby increase its value; dry ageing application can increase the consumer appeal of this meat. In order to develop novel consumer-liked dry aged sheepmeat products, an innovation process aligned with design thinking principles was initiated. The objective was to understand optimal dry aged sheepmeat product formats from chef, butcher, producer and consumer perspectives, and use these findings to develop “highly liked” and “premium” dry aged cull ewe meat dishes. The methodology used and the results of stakeholder engagement, perceptual mapping, and quantitative consumer assessments are reported. Stakeholder engagement showed the importance of how novel products are introduced to the consumer and to the chef. Perceptual mapping highlighted that chef-perceived product “premiumness” was driven by eating quality and complexity of the dish. Consumer assessment validated these findings with increases in dish liking associated with increased premiumness and complexity in dish presentation. Overall, the described approach was successful; eight highly liked dry aged cull ewe meat dishes were developed (all scored > 7.69 on a 9-point hedonic scale for liking), and four of the eight dishes were rated “at the level of a very premium food”.