Sensory and Consumer Testing

The Michigan State University Sensory Lab, directed by Dr. Emily Mayhew, operates a Service Center to provide sensory and consumer testing to clients. Standard rates have been established for 6 project tiers, described below. More complex project designs can be accommodated by treating these test units as modular (e.g., a 3-day consumer test could be billed as 1 full-service test and 2 data collection only tests). These rates are valid from March 2025 – March 2027. Prospective clients are encouraged to e-mail us to set up a free consultation.

Sensory and Consumer Testing Project Tiers

Full-Service Project Tiers

Full-service consumer tests include:

*only included in full-service tier

  • Study design*
  • Recruiting
  • Subject compensation
  • Supplies
  • Sample preparation
  • Data collection
  • Data analysis and reporting*

Standard, full-service consumer test -  $12,000: Up to 10 hours of data collection with 100 consumers and up to 6 products

Small-scale, full-service consumer test - $9,000: Up to 6 hours of data collection with 50-60 consumers and up to 6 products

Pilot-scale, full-service consumer test - $7,500: Up to 4 hours of data collection with 30-40 consumers and up to 6 products

Data Collection Only Project Tiers

Data collection only tests include:

  • Recruiting
  • Subject compensation
  • Supplies
  • Sample preparation
  • Data collection

Standard consumer test , data collection only  - $8,000: Up to 10 hours of data collection with 100 consumers and up to 6 products

Small-scale consumer test, data collection only - $5,000: Up to 6 hours of data collection with 50-60 consumers and up to 6 products

Pilot-scale consumer test, data collection only - $3,500: Up to 4 hours of data collection with 30-40 consumers and up to 6 products