Integrating Sensory Evaluation and Food Safety Assessment to Improve Consumer Acceptance and Public Health Outcomes of Ready-to-Eat Snacks

Abstract

The increased intake of ready-to-eat (RTE) snacks has “increased the need to ensure that the food products are both acceptable to the consumer and food safety is achieved, but these two aspects are usually assessed separately. This report is a systematic review of the literature conducted based on PRISMA to investigate the interaction of sensory evaluation and food safety assessment in influencing consumer preferences and overall health of the population. A total of 52 peer-reviewed articles that were published in the range of 2010 to 2025 were reviewed that represented a variety of geographic and production settings. The results indicate that sensory characteristics, especially the three (taste, texture, and aroma) are the main factors that influence consumer acceptance in all environments. there was no consistent relationship between high sensory scores and adherence to microbiological or chemical safety requirements. Most of the highly rated products were reported to be beyond the recommended levels of contamination particularly in the informal food systems. Such a mismatch between sensory and safety demonstrates a severe weakness of the present food quality assessment procedures, in which consumer perception is not a reliable predictor of the underlying risk. On the other hand, processing and hygiene were found to lead to improvement of both safety and sensory quality in controlled production conditions, indicating that alignment can be realized under optimized conditions. Trade-offs in reformulation strategies, in which safety-oriented interventions are likely to decrease sensory appeal and, by extension, consumer acceptance, are also noted in the review. On the whole, the investigation highlights the necessity of a combined assessment system that would also focus on both sensory satisfaction and scientific safety measures. A redefinition of food quality along these two dimensions is necessary in enhancing consumer confidence, product development, as well as reducing population-level health risks associated with RTE snack consumption. This study highlights the need for integrated evaluation frameworks combining sensory and safety metrics.