What’s in it for me? Food packaging and consumer responses, a focus group study

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore consumer views on different aspects of packaging, exemplified by a common product in the fruit and vegetable category and to identify advantages and disadvantages perceived by consumers purchasing packaged or unpackaged products. Design/methodology/approach – Three focus group interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis based on theory was performed. The findings were categorised into nine themes. Findings – Consumer views on packaging aspects were revealed, covering: packaging material; pack size; protection and preservation; convenience; price; communication and information; ethical perspectives; novelty and innovation; and advantages and disadvantages of packaged and unpackaged products. Research limitations/implications – The study adds to present knowledge on the role of packaging in consumers’ food choices. The qualitative analysis identified areas for further research through quantitative methods. Practical implications – Challenges in communicating the consumer benefits of packaging and ways to improve the attractiveness of items in the fresh produce category were identified. The results can potentially assist in improving food packaging design practice to the mutual benefit of consumers and suppliers. Originality/value – Fruit and vegetables is generally a category with weak branding and low levels of packaging. This study examined the role of packaging in a category with substantial opportunities for differentiation and increasing consumer value. The results can be applied in immediate practice and/or serve as a basis for further research.

Consumer Perceptions of Food Packaging: Contributing to or Counteracting Environmentally Sustainable Development?

“…The results are not surprising, though, because the process of determining environmental impact, comparing different alternatives and contrasting them with other packaging as well as the product characteristics is a difficult and multifaceted task . More information on the package about the packaging history and environmental impact could facilitate consumers' ability to make better judgments …”

“…Vermeir and Verbeke also highlight the importance of consumer communication not only in the consumer's purchase decision process but also to increase their awareness or knowledge of environmental aspects of products, something that is limited among consumers. Packaging is used to signal ethical values such as organic to the consumers through general claims or third‐party certified eco labels . The benefits of products or packages related to their environmental impact are in general poorly conveyed to consumers, resulting in an inability for them to make informed choices …”

“…4,18 More information on the package about the packaging history and environmental impact could facilitate consumers' ability to make better judgments. 20,46,95 Consumer-perceived importance of environmentally sustainable packaging…”

Critical remarks on the governance of sustainability: On the institutional framework of standards

“…However, the broader the movement becomes and the more movements arise, the more difficult it becomes to know which label guarantees what. In particular, people who care about sustainability labeling have in recent years increasingly stated that too many labels exist (Barreiro‐Hurle, Gracia, & De‐Magistris, ; Fernqvist, Olsson, & Spendrup, ; Moruzzi & Sirieix, ). If this range of labels is to be taken seriously, consumers would have to devote enormous amounts of time to understanding which label guarantees which standard, not to mention the ways of enforcing these standards.…”

Development of Perfume Bottle Visual Design Model Using Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process

“…Many package design studies have conducted systematic approach to construct a design model and to obtain a better understanding regarding CPP to package design of a product (Henson et al, 2006;Ares & Deliza, 2010;Gofman et al, 2010;Metcalf et al, 2012;Fernqvist et al, 2015). In general, the effectiveness of the systematic design approach is crucially determined by the choice of analytical techniques.…”