Study: Excess packaging dampens shoppers' interest in produce
A study shows excessive fruit and vegetable packaging discourages shoppers and could reduce consumption of healthy foods.
In the study, reported in London's DailyMail, scientists at Wageningen University in Wageningen, Netherlands, reported produce packaging is "putting customers off a healthy diet because the food looks older and bad for the environment."
In the research, two groups of shoppers participated in a simulated three dimension supermarket by filling their shopping carts with a variety of fruit and vegetables.
The produce was in non-packed conventional products, packed organic products and a mixture of packed conventional and organics.
Study participants were asked to state their feelings on how packaging influenced their food shopping decisions.
"Consumers' ideal fruit and vegetables are unpacked: it is easier to touch the product, which is both rewarding by itself and a way to check quality, consumers do not need to buy a pre-set amount but are free to choose any number of items, and consumers may perceive less environmental impact of packaging," the researchers reported.
The point of the study was identifying positive effects of produce being marketed without packaging, according to the report.
Overall, loose fruit and vegetables are preferred over packaged products for conventional and organic produce, according to the study.
"Although packaging clearly has distinct advantages for consumers in terms of convenience, food safety, and information, there is also empirical evidence that consumers dislike packaging," the researchers reported.
"We conclude that removing the primary packaging of organic fruit and vegetables appears to be a promising intervention in attempts to increase organic sales," the study reported.
Food product packaging can influence shoppers' taste impressions, elicit emotional responses and prejudice consumers to purchase, according to the report.
Reducing packaging could also reduce food waste and encourage healthier eating, the study reported.
The study was published in the journal Food Quality and Preference.
