A content analysis of organic product package designs

Abstract

Purpose Do the package designs of organic products differ from those of conventional products and which package design elements are used more systematically in organic products? This paper aims to address this question by exploring the package design elements of organic products. The proposition is that in addition to package design elements that explicitly communicate and position a product as organic (i.e. organic labels and claims), other package design elements that implicitly convey an organic image are used. Design/methodology/approach The authors conduct a content analysis of the package designs from new product launches in four product categories (butter, cereals, fruit juice and milk) and across four markets (Austria, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland). Findings The results show that the package designs of organic products differ from those of conventional products based on the presence of more paper material, white and green colours and images displaying nature. Research limitations/implications The findings support the notion that in addition to organic labels and claims, package design elements that implicitly communicate values associated with organic products, such as environmental friendliness and sustainability are used. Originality/value This study is among the few to explore package design elements for organic products. Understanding how the package designs of organic products are constructed can support managerial decisions on the use of the package as a means to better communicate and position organic products.

Packaging’s of the organic farming products in the context of circular economy

“…When comparing the group of companies that are changing the package materials the strong relation to implementation of management standards such as ISO 9001, IFS, BRC is visible. That results are in line with Chrysochou and Festila [4] study, where the package designs of organic products differ from those of conventional products based on the presence of more paper material, white and green colours and images displaying nature. All that changes helps to communicate and position a product as organic one.…”

“…Despite very strict regulations related to the processing of organic food, there are no requirements related to their packaging. Of course, organic food production processes promote natural balance, with environmentally friendly production and packaging, which positively affect consumers' buying behaviour [3][4]. Producers usually try to emphasize the ecological character of the product by using packaging design and materials that has positive associations with customers.…”

Formation and characterization of protein-based films from yellow pea (Pisum sativum) protein isolate and concentrate for edible applications

“…Furthermore, the source of protein and pH of the protein solution prior to plasticisation may have influenced the film colour. These properties are crucial when using the protein films as packaging materials as their appearance must be acceptable to consumers ( Chrysochou and Festila, 2019 ).…”

Happy Hens or Healthy Eggs: A Content Analysis of Supermarket Egg Box Graphics.

“…Only unprocessed hen egg products were taken for further analysis. Images of the egg boxes were saved and subjected to content analysis, similar to previously applied to organic and health-food packaging [20,21]. All 50 eggboxes examined displayed at least one explicit written message, such as "a good source or omega-3", "from free-range hens", or "great taste" (Table 1).…”