Tackling the plastic problem: A review on perceptions, behaviors, and interventions.

Investigación de Mercados

Packaging has a fundamental role in ensuring safe delivery of goods throughout supply chains to the end consumer in good condition. It also has great potential to contribute to sustainable development. This paper explores and provides insights on Swedish consumer perceptions and knowledge of environmental aspects of food packaging and elaborates on how these can contribute to or counteract environmentally sustainable development. A study based on a consumer survey carried out in Sweden is presented. A review of recent packaging research emphasizes the protective function of packaging as its most important contribution to the environmental dimension of sustainable development. Contrary to this, consumers almost exclusively refer to the packaging material when it comes to their perceptions of the environmental impact of packaging. Paper-based packaging is strongly understood by the surveyed consumers to be environmentally advantageous, whereas plastic and metal are not. This study further indicates that a majority of the Swedish consumers surveyed are aware of their shortcomings in judging the environmental status of food packaging, indicating a need for guidance; otherwise, consumer choices can unintendedly counteract environmentally sustainable intentions. (Less)

/pdf/consumer-perceptions-of-food-packaging-contributing-to-or-39jz89jqj0.pdf

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

Fresh food sustainable distribution: cost, delivery time and carbon footprint three-objective optimization

Higher animal welfare standards increase costs along the supply chain of certified animal-friendly products (AFP). Since the market outcome of certified AFP depends on consumer confidence toward supply chain operators complying with these standards, the role of trust in consumer willingness-to-pay (WTP) for AFP is paramount. Results from a contingent valuation survey administered in five European Union countries show that WTP estimates were sensitive to robust measures of consumer trust for certified AFP. Deriving the WTP effect of a single food category on total food expenditure is difficult for survey respondents; hence, a budget approach was employed to facilitate this process.

Farm Animal Welfare, Consumer Willingness to Pay, and Trust: Results of a Cross-National Survey

Qualitative research techniques are frequently used as a means to understand consumers’ perceptions and behavior when it comes to food choice Particularly, projective techniques have been increasingly used in marketing and consumer research In this context, this study aims to evaluate two projective techniques – word association and completion techniques – to study consumers’ expectations about food packaging Additionally, it is intended to assess how packaging and presentation format influence food purchase decisions The results obtained from both methodologies suggest that handiness to open, resealability, packaging size and packaging material transparency are among the features most appreciated by consumers Specifically, word association has facilitated the identification of a larger number of items, probably thanks to the nonrestricted response character of this technique Conversely, completion methodologies, a stimuli-guided technique, has resulted in a richer range of perspectives by consumers thank to the focus on different aspects of the problem

Practical Applications
Recent changes in eating habits and lifestyles are forcing the food industry to develop new foods or to improve existing products In this context, sensory and nonsensory characteristics must be taken into account to meet consumer requirements Packaging, especially, has become an important extrinsic quality cue which provides information not only about food but also about brand image or lifestyle Nevertheless, the role of packaging and presentation format in the shaping of consumers’ preferences must be extensively assessed In this article, we have used a qualitative research due to the complex aspects involved in the consumer/packaging relationship The projective techniques used in this study proved to be suitable and, therefore, food companies could use them as a way to undertake preliminary researches about new packaging features or packaging materials The information obtained is of great interest for food industries when planning to place new packaging formats in the market or to identify target markets

The Role of Packaging and Presentation Format in Consumers’ Preferences for Food: An Application of Projective Techniques

Food consumption is one of the most important areas to influence environmental sustainability since it is responsible for one third of a household's total environmental impact. However, many consumers are not completely aware of the association between their food consumption and the environmental consequences. Recently, some food companies have developed labelling schemes to help inform their consumers of the impact a specific food product has on the environment during its production. The main objective of this study is to uncover consumers' perceptions and attitudes towards these environmental labels and their impact on consumers' purchase decisions. In this paper, five sustainability labels, covering both ethical and environmental aspects, were chosen as examples. A focus group approach has been taken due to its adequacy to explore beliefs, perceptions and experiences. Four focus group sessions took place with 36 participants in total. The data has been analysed using a specific qualitative program (Atlas.ti). Finally, the findings were presented and discussed in four main sections explained throughout the manuscript: food purchase decision, social and environmental labels, information on labels and reasons for purchase, and lastly, willingness to pay for certified labels. The results of this study show that, although consumers have positive attitudes towards sustainability attributes in food products, constraints still remain that prevent their materialisation in their purchasing behaviour.

Perception of Spanish consumers towards environmentally friendly labelling in food

Can extensification compensate livestock greenhouse gas emissions? A study of the carbon footprint in Spanish agroforestry systems

•	Centro Internacional de Estudios Superiores sobre Agronomia Mediterranea
•	Instituto Agronomico Mediterraneo de Zaragoza

/pdf/an-insight-into-the-influence-of-packaging-and-presentation-1mbiltu9ak.pdf

An insight into the influence of packaging and presentation format on consumer purchasing attitudes towards cheese: a qualitative study

Consumers are increasingly concerned about the way their food is produced. This is particularly relevant in the case of meat, due to the impacts that its production methods can have on greenhouse gas emissions and its role in climate change. In relation to this issue, the purpose of our research is to obtain more information on the consumer decision-making process for beef, in order to determine the relative importance of sustainability claims and traditional attributes, and identify consumer profiles with similar perceptions and intentions. A choice experiment was used to assess the influence of these attributes on consumers’ purchasing decisions. The results reveal that the best purchase choice for the consumer would be organic beef, produced in Spain, with an animal welfare label and eco-labelled. Later on, a cluster analysis was carried out using consumer beliefs and attitudes towards meat consumption as inputs, together with purchasing behaviour variables. A solution was obtained with three well-defined consumer segments showing different preference patterns: Cluster 1 (Male millennials indifferent towards environment or sustainability), Cluster 2 (Sustainability-concerned mature women) and Cluster 3 (Middle-aged meat eaters with established families). The results of this study are relevant to develop more appropriate strategies that may be adapted to the behaviour and expectations of eco-friendly food consumers.

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/10/4093/pdf

A. Eldesouky

Papers

The Role of Packaging and Presentation Format in Consumers’ Preferences for Food: An Application of Projective Techniques

Perception of Spanish consumers towards environmentally friendly labelling in food

Can extensification compensate livestock greenhouse gas emissions? A study of the carbon footprint in Spanish agroforestry systems

An insight into the influence of packaging and presentation format on consumer purchasing attitudes towards cheese: a qualitative study

Consumer Assessment of Sustainability Traits in Meat Production. A Choice Experiment Study in Spain