Is it necessary to have different types of flavour additives in Non Stop?

By the 7th grade class from Hillestad School at Holmestrand in Vestfold County. Winner of 'Nysgjerrigper of the Year' 2006.

This is what I wonder about!

The question to be studied turned up by coincidence while the 7th graders were working with statistics in their maths class. What are the odds of picking a yellow Non Stop from among a large number of Non Stops of all colours?

The discussion then moved on to whether black and brown Non Stops taste best, and whether the various colours taste different. Half the class believed that all the colours taste the same, while the other half were of the opinion that different Non Stop colours have different flavours. This called for some detective work!

The next step was to write a letter to Freia, and then wait for a response. The reply gave them some ideas about how to proceed. The letter from Freia revealed that red Non Stops taste raspberry, green taste pineapple/apple, and yellow taste lemon, while the orange ones taste orange and both the brown and the black Non Stops are vanilla-flavoured.

The seventh graders performed a taste test in the classroom to see if they could tell the difference. They found that when they saw the colour, they could tell the flavour. But when blindfolded, very few managed to determine which Non Stop they were tasting: only 5 of 22 identified the flavours correctly. As a result, the class began to wonder whether it was really necessary to use so many different flavourings.

If so, why?

They formulated the following hypothesis: We do not think there is a need for so many flavour additives in Non Stop. They based this on their own experience with the problem as presented.

Make a plan to investigate the question!

The pupils made a plan for a large-scale survey, including taste tests among their fellow students. A total of 150 individuals took part in the surveys and experiments. The young scientists believe this constituted an adequate sample for their research.

Out in the field to collect data!

Using questionnaires, the class wanted to determine how many of their fellow pupils felt the same way about the taste as the class did before contacting Freia. They also wanted to count the Non Stops to find out whether the colours were evenly distributed, so they made a registration form for the different flavour additives. They decided to divide the surveys by age level. Obviously, the project also required a visit to the Non Stop factory.

This is what I found out!

Fifty-five per cent thought the different colours tasted the same and most stated that they tasted chocolate. A few thought they tasted strawberry, orange, apple and raspberry. Red taste best, according to the opinion poll, as opposed to the opinion of the class doing the research, who like brown and black best.

A total of 4323 Non Stops were used in the survey, and there was an average of 288 in every bag. When the contents of all the bags were counted, the pupils found there were almost twice as many red Non Stops as other colours (except yellow), while yellow was nearly three times as common as all the other colours except red. However, the conclusion states that they did not use quite enough bags to draw a definite conclusion.

As far as the taste tests were concerned, 31 per cent of the pupils tested recognised which flavour the Non Stops had when they saw the colours. Even more actually recognised the tastes when blindfolded. The seventh graders admit that they conducted this test immediately after the other test, meaning the subjects of the experiment had just been familiarised with the flavours. The red ones tasted best, while the black (vanilla-flavoured) had the most distinct taste. 73 per cent of the sample was in favour of flavour additives in Non Stop.

All the same, the main conclusion drawn by the 7th grade class at Hillestad School was that their surveys indicate that it is not necessary to use so many flavour additives. They propose one 'common flavour' and suggest that the apple and lemon flavours be discontinued.

Pass it on!

The pupils made a detailed report and won the competition for 'Nysgjerrigper of the Year' 2006. They also sent the report to Freia, set up a website on the project, and made the newspaper during the local taste test days.