SensoGram 6: Making Food Exporting More Palatable   The push into food exporting is gathering momentum. There are great opportunities in food exports - but there are also risks. Exactly what do export consumers want? How do you know if they will like your product? If they don't, how do you reformulate to make it work? In the SensoMetrics INTERTASTE[1] study, we researched the consumer appeal of orange drinks in Australia, the UK, and in Malaysia. The drink formulations varied systematically in sugar and acid levels. Consumer liking in each country came out as below:   Starting with the left-hand panel (high-acid drinks), we see that there is little difference between the three countries. No one liked these high acid drinks, even when they were high in sugar (although there is an indication that the Malaysians liked more sugar than the others).   In the middle panel (medium-acid drinks), real differences become apparent. The data curves for the Australian and British consumers are similar, but the curve for the Malaysian consumers is different. Malaysians like the drinks with high sugar levels whereas the others prefer lower sugar levels.   In the right-hand panel (low-acid drinks), the difference is even more obvious. The Malaysians liked all the low-acid drinks, whereas the Australians and British did not. Furthermore, the Malaysian preference for high sweetness and low acidity holds with all three main racial groups in Malaysia (Malay, Chinese, Indian), suggesting it is culturally, rather than ethnically, determined.   What does this mean for food exporting? Precise knowledge of these cross-cultural differences allows you to formulate products exactly for the target market - and add value. A marketing problem becomes a marketing advantage.  [1] commissioned by the Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation