"La recette gagnante de la naturalité perçue : Nutri- Score C, ingrédients bruts et origine France. Expérience de choix discrets appliquée à la madeleine"

Perceived naturalness is not limited to the composition of food products but encompasses multiple dimensions, as consumers seek consistency across the entire production chain. In this context, agri-food actors aiming to improve their offerings in terms of naturalness are faced with trade-offs. This raises the following question: which attributes are the most determinant of perceived naturalness? The literature identifies a wide range of attributes influencing this perception, yet does not provide a clear prioritization. This research combines a qualitative study to identify the most frequently cited attributes by consumers, and a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to estimate their relative importance. The results show that the perceived naturalness of a madeleine primarily relies on three attributes: Nutri-Score, the presence of raw ingredients, and the origin of ingredients. More specifically, a madeleine is perceived as more natural when it has a Nutri-Score C, is locally produced, and contains simple ingredients. These findings provide insights for decision-making in product formulation and communication strategies in the agri-food sector.