Food and Beverage Market Research Services

Touchstone Research is a leading food and beverage market research company helping brands test products, packaging, and campaigns with confidence. From flavor innovation to restaurant experience research, our insights help teams understand consumer preferences and stay ahead in a competitive global market.

Food and Beverage Market Research Expertise You Can Rely On

The food and beverage industry changes fast. New flavors emerge, health trends shift, packaging evolves, and global influences reshape what consumers want. Brands need clear, reliable insights to keep pace. Touchstone Research helps food and beverage companies understand how people choose, taste, evaluate, and experience products.

Understanding Consumers in a Constantly Changing Food & Beverage Market

Trend Tracking Across Categories: Identify shifts in taste, health, sustainability, convenience, and cultural food behaviors.
Product and Packaging Testing: Evaluate flavor profiles, designs, formats, claims, and pricing before launch.
Restaurant and Foodservice Insights: Understand dine-in, delivery, and digital ordering experiences.
Support for Rapid Innovation Cycles: Research built to match fast-paced food and beverage development timelines.
Access to Diverse Audiences: Reach consumers across age groups, lifestyles, regions, and dietary preferences.
Global and Multicultural Perspectives: Research across U.S. and international markets to inform expansion and localization.

Food and Beverage Market Research Services

Touchstone Research offers end-to-end food and beverage market research services that help brands test concepts, refine products, and track consumer preferences. Whether you’re innovating with new flavors, designing sustainable packaging, or exploring global opportunities, our qualitative and quantitative solutions provide clear insights for confident decision making.

Qualitative Research

Understand consumer behavior at a deeper level

We conduct focus groups, IDIs, diary studies, and mobile ethnographies to uncover emotional drivers, taste preferences, dining motivations, and brand perceptions. Ideal for food, beverage, and restaurant market research.

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Quantitative Research

Drive Strategic Decisions with Data-Backed Insights

Our large-scale surveys and advanced analytics — including MaxDiff, Conjoint, TURF, and pricing studies — inform product innovation, flavor optimization, packaging direction, and campaign performance.

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Quantitative Research for Food & Beverage Brands

Recruitment & Fieldwork

Reach the right food consumers

We recruit from broad and niche demographics using rigorous screening and validation. Audiences include diners, shoppers, parents, Gen Z, food enthusiasts, beverage connoisseurs, and multicultural consumer groups.

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UX Research

Optimize digital food experiences

We test ordering platforms, loyalty apps, digital menus, QSR mobile experiences, delivery flows, and other touchpoints to ensure usability, clarity, and consumer satisfaction.

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Insight Communities & Online Panels

Continuous Insights from Food & Beverage Enthusiasts

We build online insight communities and market research online panels to support rapid testing of new products, packaging, messaging, marketing campaigns, and dining experiences.

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Dial Tester for Food Content

Real-Time Feedback on Culinary Content

Our proprietary Dial Tester tool measures second-by-second audience response to food advertising, menu videos, promotional content, and product storytelling.

Learn More About Dial Testing

Secure Content Testing

Safely test unreleased food assets

SCT uses user-level watermarking and secure access controls to protect sensitive creative, packaging designs, and confidential menu or product rollouts during research.

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Food and Beverage Insights in Action

Real-world examples of how Touchstone Research optimizes flavor profiles and menu innovations through sensory data.

Market Validation for a Spicy Snack Launch

The Challenge: A major CPG brand needed to validate if an international product concept would succeed in the US market before committing to a nationwide rollout.
The Solution: We executed a rapid qualitative product test to assess “market fit,” comparing consumer expectations against the actual product experience.
The Outcome: Insights provided a clear roadmap for reformulation, preventing a potential flop and aligning the product positioning with US snacking behaviors.
View Full Case Study

Food and Beverage Market Research Audiences We Reach

Touchstone Research connects food and beverage brands with the consumers who shape taste, trends, and purchase behavior. Our research participant recruitment expertise ensures you reach the right mix of diners, shoppers, beverage enthusiasts, and lifestyle-driven audiences, providing authentic insights that support confident product and marketing decisions.

We recruit high-quality participants across demographics, lifestyles, cultures, and dietary preferences to help you understand real-world attitudes and behaviors.

Food Enthusiasts & Gourmets
Health-Conscious Consumers
Restaurant-Goers
Frequent Diners
Millennials & Gen Z
Beverage Connoisseurs
Craft Beer Enthusiasts
Wine Aficionados
Spirits & Cocktail Lovers

Nightlife & Bar Patrons
Plant-Based & Sustainable Diet Followers
Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) Patrons
Fast-Food & Quick-Service Enthusiasts
Family-Focused Consumers
Fine Dining Aficionados
Ethnic Cuisine Lovers
Seasonal & Trend-Driven Diners

Food and Beverage Market Research Audiences We Reach

Food and Beverage Market Research FAQs

What is food and beverage market research?

Food and beverage market research helps brands understand consumer tastes, dining behaviors, packaging preferences, and category trends. It supports better product development, marketing, and brand strategy.

Why is food and beverage market research important?

Consumer preferences shift quickly. Food and beverage research helps brands keep pace by identifying emerging flavors, testing packaging, measuring demand, and understanding how cultural and lifestyle factors influence purchase decisions.

What audiences can be reached through food and beverage studies?

Common methods include taste and sensory testing, packaging research, focus groups, in-depth interviews (IDIs), insight communities, surveys, and segmentation studies. These approaches provide a balance of qualitative insights and quantitative validation.

Do you conduct restaurant market research?

Yes. We support research for restaurants and food service brands, including concept testing, menu evaluation, digital ordering UX research, loyalty programs, and in-restaurant experience studies.

Can you test new flavors, packaging, and product concepts?

Absolutely. We run qualitative and quantitative studies to evaluate flavor profiles, packaging formats, messaging, and product designs before launch.

Do you offer digital experience and app testing for food and beverage brands?

Yes. We conduct UX testing for ordering apps, loyalty systems, delivery platforms, digital menus, and QSR or fast-casual customer journeys.

Can food and beverage research be conducted globally?

Yes. Touchstone provides global research across more than 60 markets with multilingual support and cultural expertise.

How do you ensure data quality in food and beverage research?

We apply multi-layered data quality controls, use verified recruitment, follow SOC 2 Type II standards, and maintain GDPR and CPRA compliance to ensure accurate and reliable data.

Can Touchstone protect confidential product and marketing materials?

Yes. Our Secure Content Testing (SCT) platform protects unreleased assets, including packaging, ads, menus, and product concepts through user-level watermarking and controlled access.

Trusted by Leading Food & Beverage Brands

What Our Clients Are Saying About Us

We have done quite a few Quant and Qual research projects with Touchstone. They are always extremely responsive, flexible, and provide great recommendations on how to get the most out of our research.

Director, Product Marketing & eComm
Food & Beverage Company