Seeking an optimal classification system for the commercial categories of olive oils

The ultimate goal of food classifications systems (FCS) is to inform in an adequateway to the different agents of the market and mainly to consumers about thedifferent categories, characteristics and quality of a food product. In particular, inthis paper we focus on the olive oils classification systems. This system is formedby three product categories divided according to the objective quality of each one.Its main function is to help the consumers to distinguish and understand thedistinctive characteristics of each category, motivating their learning to ensure thatthey can make informed decisions, avoiding confusion or mistakes. However, inmany cases, the classification systems show important deficiencies that increasethe confusion and hinder the consumer learning. For this reason, the objective ofthis work is to offer some orientations for the design of effective FCS. To analizethe usefulness of diverse elements such as the length of the categories (short-long)and a series of visual signs (colours, numbers and images), in relation to thelearning results, we conducted an experimental study with 840 spanish participantsduring November and December, 2014. The results allow us to provide a series ofrecommendations that can help to enhance the current classification system forolive oils.