TV presenter Fred Sirieix has hosted a series of blind taste tests on behalf of Boursin after research revealed six in ten adults dislike food they have never tried.
The ‘playful PR-led campaign’ shows the First Dates star inviting foodie festival goers to join him in a tasting challenge in a bid to explore biases and shift preconceptions around food and tap into the growing appetite for at-home entertaining.
It comes as a study commissioned by the brand revealed that Brits, on average, flatly reject up to eight foods, five of which they have never tasted.
Sushi ranked as the top food that consumers refuse to eat, followed by black pudding and kimchi.
Plant-based alternatives to cheese, anchovies, tofu, blue cheese, duck, liver and plant-based alternatives to milk were also named in the top 10.
Other study findings revealed that 65% of people admit to judging a food negatively before ever giving it a go, though over half (53%) changed their minds after eventually tasting it.
“Brits claim to eagerly embrace culinary trends and global flavours, but we can be surprisingly prejudiced when it comes to certain foods, and that’s one of the biggest barriers to discovery,” said Sirieix. “Many ingredients, especially plant-based alternatives to cheese, face huge negative preconceptions.
“But even the most discerning foodies were fooled by Boursin Plant-Based. When we let taste do the talking, they simply couldn’t differentiate it from dairy.”
The signing of Sirieix forms part of a long-term marketing strategy that aims to reinvent Boursin from a ”seasonal cheeseboard staple” to a ”versatile, year-round indulgence”, said the brand.
The activity also aims to tap into the growing demand for at-home supper clubs to casual dinner parties, Boursin added.
“Food is meant to be an adventure,” said Sirieix. “Often, the things you’re sure you won’t like end up surprising you the most. The joy of discovery comes from being brave enough to try and letting your tastebuds, not your preconceptions, guide you.”
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