The perceived environmental sustainability of organic food products is often offset by consumer sensory preferences, yet a quantitative understanding of these preferences remains elusive. We evaluated how consumer sensory perception of processed meats is influenced by different curing ingredient types. We found from a three-year longitudinal sensory panel analysis of non-incentivized consumers' opinions on widely consumed processed meats that retronasal aroma, specifically non-meat aftertastes, critically determines consumer purchase intent between organic and conventional formulations.