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

his paper analyses consumer preferences for white cheese in Tirana, Albania, ap- plying conjoint choice experiment. Consumer segments were identified based on prefer- ences for selected product attributes, including price, origin, milk type and the use of powder (dry) milk to produce cheese. Result s indicate that the importance of cheese attributes and preferences vary across cons umer 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 identifie d. 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 produc- ing cheese. On the basis of these findings, food policy makers and law enforcement in- stitutions could consider the introduction of specific cheese labelling rules that guaran- tee quality and transparency, ensuring complete information about production technol- ogy and raw materials, including also the use of dry milk