Standardization News

A new ASTM International standard developed by the sensory evaluation committee (E18) provides a guide for giving feedback to sensory assessors.

According to ASTM International member Veronika Jones, the standard, soon to be published as E3313, is intended to give sensory panel leaders a better understanding of feedback, including such topics as:

• how it can be used effectively;
• how it can be delivered so as to keep assessors motivated, and
• how it can be best employed in various sensory tests.

“Giving feedback to sensory assessors is an important skill for sensory panel leaders to have, but it’s usually something you learn ‘by doing,’” says Jones. “This guide will be most useful for panel leaders to ensure their panels get the feedback they need to generate the high-quality data that is needed to support business or project decisions.”

The standard is a companion document to an existing standard that covers measuring and tracking performance of assessors (E3000), spun off because of the need for providing feedback on performance after it is measured.

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