Albanian consumer preferences for the use of powder milk in cheese-making: A conjoint choice experiment

This paper analyses consumer preferences for white cheese in Tirana, Albania, applying conjoint choice experiment. Consumer segments were identified based on preferences for selected product attributes, including price, origin, milk type and the use of powder (dry) milk to produce cheese. Results indicate that the importance of cheese attributes and preferences vary across consumer classes. The most important factor driving consumer preferences is the type of milk used for cheese-making, which is dominant in two of the four classes identified. All consumer classes prefer cheese made without powder milk but rather produced only with fresh raw milk. The use of milk powder is presumably perceived as a non-natural or non-traditional method of producing cheese. On the basis of these findings, food policy makers and law enforcement institutions could consider the introduction of specific cheese labelling rules that guarantee quality and transparency, ensuring complete information about production technology and raw materials, including also the use of dry milk.