Market Trend Research Methods Used In The Food Industry

• To see what is already on market/on sale
• Ensure what you make will meet with current consumer needs
• To identify good features you will want to keep
• So you can improve on/identify weaknesses of products already on sale.
• Get inspiration for new product/use customer reviews
• Identify prices
• Identify competition
• Look for gap in the market 

Ways A Computer Can Be Used When Researching Market Trends

A Computer can be used to complete the analysis of the data collected to make graphs to show the results. 

There is a lot of information avaliable to reserach on the internet to make sure you collect up to date data

Advantages and disadvantages in the use of computers / ICT when researching and designing new food products.

ADVANTAGES:

• Less Human Error
• More Reliable 
• Quicker
• Greater accuracy and up to date information
• More consistent 
• Can be carried out when human not present 24/7 

DISADVANTAGES: 

• Expensive to set up 
• Need skilled operators 
• Computers may fail-loss of data

CAD- Stands for COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN

Advantages- 

• Saves Time: diffrennt ideas can be easily and quicky tried out before setting up production. 
• Saves Cost: Costs for scaling up product can be pedicted and modified if not considered value for money. 
• Production simulation can aviod expense of buying unnesscary equiment or workers. 
• Avoids Human errors in testing ideas and calaculations 

Disadvantages-

• Results in loss of jobs as computers take over some of the work. 
• There is a shortage of skilled computer operatives in this industry
• It is expensive to set up the initial production system. 

What can it be used for? 

Calculate the nutritonal value of a product. Using graphic packages to desgin the physical apperance of the products. Investigatigating the microbiological considerations. Work out the sizes and costs of diffrent batch productions. Work out the shelf life of a product. Present the products sensory profile. 

CAM- Stands for 'COMPUTER AIDED MANUFACTURE', using a computer or computer aided devices to aid manufacture. 

Advantages

• In large scale production, the results are consistent. 
• Enables very high accuracy levels in large scale production. 
• Usally speeds up production of low-volume products. 

Disadvantages 

• The software itself is expensive so inital costs are high. 
• Can be slower that traditional methods of one-off or low-volume production. 
• Staff need to be trained how to use the software and machienry which adds to costs. 

What can it be used for? Nutritonal Analysis, Packaging nets, Food Labels, HACCP Design and System Design, Market Research Data, Estimation of microbial growth and Using a word processor/ DTP/ Drawing package to develop a flow chart.