The use and perceived appropriateness of milk in the diet: A cross‐country evaluation

The repertory grid method (short structured interviews) was used to study the place milk occupies within the total diet, its perceived appropriateness and people's beliefs concerning different types of milk ("ultra‐high temperature processed” (UHT) versus “fresh” and different levels of fat content) in Finland, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (UK). Twenty subjects (10 male, 10 female, 18–74 years) were interviewed in each country. The repertory grid method lends itself well to such a cross‐country and language comparison. The type of milk consumed, uses of milk and constructs used to distinguish between milks varied across countries. Overall, subjects more often consumed low‐fat milks than full‐fat milks. UHT milk was almost only consumed by the French subjects. Constructs such as “creamy,” “fat content,” “full” and “rich” were used to describe milks of high fat content. Low‐fat milks were described by constructs such as “watery,” “healthy” and “digestible.”

Key words:

• milk consumption
• Europe
• repertory grid method
• sensory perceptions
• food attitudes