Consumer Perceptions of Food Packaging in Its Role in Fighting Food Waste

Linda Brennan (), Caroline Francis, Eva L. Jenkins, Bruno Schivinski, Michaela Jackson, Eloise Florence, Lukas Parker, Sophie Langley, Simon Lockrey, Karli Verghese, Nhat Tram Phan-Le, Allister Hill and Maddison Ryder
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Linda Brennan: School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Caroline Francis: Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre, Wine Innovation Central Building Level 1, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, SA 5064, Australia
Eva L. Jenkins: Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, Monash University, Notting Hill, VIC 3168, Australia
Bruno Schivinski: School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Michaela Jackson: School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Eloise Florence: School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Lukas Parker: School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Sophie Langley: School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Simon Lockrey: Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre, Wine Innovation Central Building Level 1, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, SA 5064, Australia
Karli Verghese: Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre, Wine Innovation Central Building Level 1, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, SA 5064, Australia
Nhat Tram Phan-Le: School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Allister Hill: Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre, Wine Innovation Central Building Level 1, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, SA 5064, Australia
Maddison Ryder: Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre, Wine Innovation Central Building Level 1, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, SA 5064, Australia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: Consumers are vital stakeholders in creating and reducing food waste. However, limited research into consumers’ perceptions of food waste and food packaging is available to inform research, packaging design or policy so that sustainable consumption practices among consumers might be better encouraged and enabled. By applying multivariate linear modelling to a sample of 965 Australian consumers, this study investigated consumers’ perceptions of packaging and packaging’s relationship to food waste. Overall, consumers perceived packaging waste as a more serious environmental issue than food waste. Most consumers did not consider food waste as an extreme environmental issue. Consumers’ perceptions of the seriousness of food waste also influenced their perceptions of packaging designed to reduce food waste. Significant differences between men and women and older and younger consumers were found regarding the relationship between packaging and food waste as well as food waste as an environmental issue. This study provides a detailed understanding of consumers and packaging, and it alerts designers and decision-makers to the differing attitudes towards food and packaging waste as well as the likelihood of consumers taking up more sustainable consumption practices.

Keywords: consumer perceptions; packaging design; food waste; packaging information; save food packaging; date labelling; packaging innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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