Although QFD and specifically the House of Quality (HOQ),
which is the first matrix in this method, are well known to many
researchers, the authors believe that an overview of both concepts
is needed. Therefore, this paper will first briefly review QFD and
HOQ. Next the case of European filled chocolates will be used to
illustrate how the HOQ can be developed based on consumer, sensory
and instrumental data. In this case the problem of fat bloom is
presented to demonstrate the specific use of the HOQ. Finally, the
bottlenecks of the HOQ, and in a broader perspective QFD, are
given and some recommendations are provided for an update or
a simplification of the method.