The Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework is a structured way to understand why people choose one product over another – not just what they like, but what problem or “job” the product helps them solve. Originally developed in the context of product design and innovation, this way of thinking has deep relevance for the food and beverage industry, where emotional, social, and practical drivers often influence decisions as much as flavor or price.

Understanding the 'Job'

At its core, JTBD reframes the question from “What makes this product good?” to “What is the consumer trying to get done in their life when they choose this product?” A food product might be eaten to satisfy hunger, sure – but also to:

• Help someone make a healthier choice without feeling deprived
• Create a sense of celebration or treat
• Make meal prep faster in a hectic household
• Signal identity, such as ethical eating or sustainability

Recognizing these deeper, functional and emotional drivers allows brands to innovate more strategically – looking beyond conventional product attributes to develop offerings that align with nuanced customer needs.

Why the Food Industry Needs JTBD Now

Food and beverage is a fiercely competitive and highly emotional category, where habits, brand perceptions, health trends, and convenience all intersect. In this context, relying solely on taste tests or satisfaction surveys can lead to shallow insights. JTBD facilitates a richer type of market research for the food industry by linking behavior to intention – uncovering why someone reaches for a refrigerated smoothie or instant soup at a specific moment in their day.

At SIVO, we help clients pair consumer insights and food consumer behavior analysis with the JTBD methodology to identify fresh areas for food product innovation. Instead of testing isolated product attributes, we look at how a concept operates within a larger daily experience – revealing opportunities for differentiation and growth.

How JTBD Benefits Food Innovators

This approach is especially useful when:

• You’re developing new products for a crowded category
• You want to deepen your understanding of consumer emotion around food
• You need to validate or refine product positioning and messaging
• Your existing products aren’t connecting with consumers as expected, despite performing well in traditional tests

JTBD doesn’t replace traditional research – it enhances it. When used alongside qualitative interviews, ethnography, or customer needs analysis, it can structure findings more clearly, enabling product teams and marketers to act on insight with confidence.

While flavor and texture remain important to food product success, they are just one part of the full consumer experience. The Jobs To Be Done framework shines by uncovering the deeper, often unspoken motivations that shape real-world food decisions. From emotional benefits to contextual uses, these “jobs” go well beyond taste – and understanding them is key to creating products that truly resonate in consumers’ lives.

The Broader Role of Food in Life

Consumers don’t eat in a vacuum. Instead, they 'hire' food to fulfill specific needs, often tied to:

• Emotion: Comfort, celebration, nostalgia, self-care
• Function: Energy, convenience, satiety
• Identity: Aligning with wellness, sustainability, or lifestyle values
• Occasion: Breakfast on-the-go, mid-day snack, social gathering

For example, imagine a consumer buying a plant-based breakfast wrap. On paper, it could be evaluated based on taste and nutritional profile. But with a JTBD lens, we might uncover that the “job” is actually to help the consumer feel intentional about their mornings – making a quick choice that aligns with their values without sacrificing flavor. This insight changes the product development and positioning strategy entirely.

Emotional Drivers of Food Purchase Decisions

Food choices are often rooted in feelings, even when they appear purely functional. A protein bar might be 'hired' to feel productive. An indulgent dessert may be hired to reward oneself after a long day. A ready-to-drink matcha could be chosen to feel more in control of wellness goals. These emotional drivers are central to emotional benefits food brands promise – and they’re often missed in traditional product testing.

This is especially important for new product development. Tapping into the emotional side of consumer behavior can mean the difference between a product that merely functions – and one that becomes part of a daily ritual.

Turning Context into Innovation Opportunity

Understanding specific usage occasions can also reveal unmet consumer needs in food. For example, through JTBD-informed food innovation research, a company might learn that portable lunch options meet functional needs but fail to deliver satiety and emotional satisfaction for busy professionals. This insight could spark an entirely new product line that bridges convenience with comfort and fullness, crafted around a well-defined “job.”

Fictional case example: A snack brand learns through JTBD interviews that parents aren’t just looking for something healthy for their kids – they want something that helps them feel like they’re doing a good job as a caregiver. This leads the brand to innovate snacks that include engagement cues (like fun shapes or packaging) that support bonding moments, not just nutrition.

By capturing both rational and emotional layers of consumer needs, JTBD allows us to see food not just as fuel or flavor, but as a tool consumers use to self-regulate their moods, support routines, or express values. That level of insight opens the door to product ideas most competitors aren’t even thinking about.

In the food industry, traditional product development has long centered around refining flavor, texture, and aroma. While these sensory elements remain critical, they only tell part of the story. The Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework unlocks a deeper layer of consumer insights, one that helps brands understand how food products fulfill emotional needs, fit into specific occasions, and carry personal meaning in people’s lives.

Why Emotions Matter in Food Choices

Food isn't just fuel – it plays an emotional role in comforting, celebrating, connecting, or energizing. JTBD helps surface these drivers by asking questions like, "What does this product help me feel?" and "What situation in my life is this food solving for?"

For example, a busy parent might “hire” a frozen meal not just for convenience, but for peace of mind knowing their child is eating something they like. In this case, the emotional benefit could be reduced stress or a sense of being a good provider. This understanding opens doors for differentiation beyond taste and texture.

Uncovering Usage Occasions

Another strength of JTBD is its ability to map out when and where products are consumed – identifying usage occasions that influence food consumer behavior. Is your granola bar eaten during a rushed morning commute, a post-workout snack, or a late-night craving?

Each occasion brings different expectations and emotional states, helping food innovation teams tailor packaging, portion sizes, messaging, or even ingredients accordingly. By matching a product to the situation it’s “hired” for, brands can create stronger relevance and adoption.

Meaning, Identity, and Brand Affinity

Digging deeper, JTBD unveils the symbolic meaning a food product may carry. Is your beverage seen as a self-care ritual? A reflection of eco-conscious values? A connection to cultural roots? These insights can shape everything from brand tone to product format and innovation pipeline priorities.

JTBD in action helps brands identify:

• Underserved emotional needs (e.g., confidence, nostalgia, calm, pride)
• Missed or emerging consumption contexts
• Personal values or identity signals tied to food choices

By looking beyond flavor to understand the why behind every choice, JTBD equips food brands with a more human-centric lens – one rooted in real-life motivations instead of assumptions.

Many leading food and beverage brands are already using the Jobs To Be Done approach to reframe innovation – not only around what the product is, but around what it helps people achieve. Here are a few fictional examples to illustrate how JTBD thinking inspires new product development opportunities across categories.

Example 1: A healthy snack brand focused on late-night cravings

Instead of targeting consumers who simply “want something healthy,” a JTBD perspective uncovered an unmet evening need: snacking that satisfies emotional comfort without sabotaging wellness goals. Consumers were hiring snacks to help them relax without guilt. This insight led to the creation of a calming, indulgent-feeling nut butter snack with low sugar and ingredients known for their soothing properties.

Example 2: RTD coffee and the ‘make-me-feel-capable’ job

A ready-to-drink coffee company found that morning consumption wasn’t just about caffeine – many consumers were “hiring” their coffee to signal productivity, to transition into a focused mindset. JTBD-based research helped them identify the emotional drivers of motivation and control. The brand responded with a minimalist, sleek packaging redesign and added functional ingredients like L-theanine to support focus – enabling better product-market alignment.

Example 3: Elevating usage occasions in meal kits

A meal kit provider used customer needs analysis through JTBD interviews to discover that families weren’t just buying for convenience; they were “hiring” the service to create family bonding moments without the stress of planning. This emotional insight helped them develop themed dinner kits (e.g., taco night, build-your-own pizza) and storytelling elements within instructions – turning cooking into an experience rather than a task.

Common outcomes from JTBD-based innovation include:

• Repositioned products based on the deeper “job”
• New packaging formats aligned with on-the-go or social occasions
• Category expansion into adjacent needs or times of day
• Messaging that connects at the emotional and functional levels

These examples highlight how JTBD drives food product innovation by aligning offerings more closely with lived customer experiences. The payoff? Higher product relevance, stronger brand loyalty, and broader opportunities for growth.

At SIVO Insights, we specialize in uncovering the meaningful behaviors, motivations, and context behind consumer choices. Using the Jobs To Be Done framework as part of our consumer insights and market research for the food industry, we help food and beverage brands move beyond assumptions and into the reality of how people live, eat, and decide.

We turn complexity into clarity

Whether your team is exploring food innovation research, wants to improve product adoption, or is beginning new product development, JTBD offers a powerful organizing lens. SIVO customizes how we apply the framework based on your goals. Our research design embraces both depth and breadth – combining qualitative interviews, ethnography, quantitative segmentation, and more – to show you the full picture.

For instance, we might explore:

• Functional, emotional, and social drivers of food purchase decisions
• How consumers define success when using your product
• Where, when, and why your brand fits into daily routines and rituals
• Unmet needs or “struggling moments” in specific eating or preparation scenarios

You get more than insights – you get action

We don’t stop at outlining findings. Our approach translates customer needs analysis into clear opportunities for innovation, positioning, and messaging. With SIVO, JTBD isn’t just a theoretical framework – it becomes a pragmatic tool to shape your next winning concept or line extension.

And because our full-service custom research is tailored to your organization, you get insights that fit your priorities, timelines, and internal processes. JTBD doesn’t replace other research tools – it enhances them by giving innovation teams a human-centered foundation to build from.

Get expert guidance every step of the way

SIVO’s experienced strategists and researchers, paired with scalable methods and flexible services like On Demand Talent, ensure your team stays agile and supported. Whether you’re launching a new product, evolving your brand strategy, or addressing shifting food consumer behavior, we help you illuminate what matters most to your customers – and what to do about it.

The result? Growth-centered innovation that resonates with real people, not just product specs.