Comparative product sampling is the tasting of a product alongside competing products to judge its relative quality. Panels, whether trained experts or ordinary consumers, assess the products side by side on flavour, texture, appearance, and overall liking, revealing strengths and weaknesses that absolute scoring might miss. Food companies use it in development to benchmark against market leaders and in quality control to check that reformulations or supplier changes have not slipped standards. Proper protocol controls serving order, coding, and palate cleansing to keep comparisons fair. It is market research you can taste.