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Consumer Views on Chemical Additives: Are They Natural or Synthetic? A Non-Laboratory-Based Project

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A. S. Cotterill , D. N. John and Y. S. Teh

Welsh School of Pharmacy, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3XF, UK

J. Chem. Educ., 2000, 77 (10), p 1307

DOI: 10.1021/ed077p1307

Publication Date (Web): October 1, 2000

Section:

History, Education, and Documentation

Abstract

A questionnaire was designed and evaluated by a third-year pharmacy undergraduate student as part of a final-year chemistry-specialization project. The questionnaire probed consumers' views about certain additives, whether they would know if an additive was natural or synthetic, and whether they would purchase a particular product on the basis of the additives present. Seventy-seven of 500 questionnaires were returned. The results demonstrate that consumers are not well informed about identifying natural products but do recognize names to which they have been exposed. Consumers also appreciate that natural compounds can come from a variety of sources and can be synthesized, and that a natural substance is not necessarily good for you or better than a synthetic substance. However, despite this knowledge, consumers do prefer products that contain natural or natural-sounding additives.

Many important problem-solving and analytical skills were developed by the student during this project and the use of a questionnaire has proven to be a valuable tool in undergraduate chemistry research.