Perceptions and knowledge regarding quality and safety of plastic materials used for food packaging

Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate the consumer perceptions about quality and safety of foods packed in plastic, as well as the impact of plastic materials on human health. To carry out the study, a questionnaire survey about the consumption habits and knowledge about plastic packaging was conducted to a sample of 487 Portuguese adult citizens. The results revealed that most respondents (81%) think about food safety and quality when purchasing foods. Additionally, it was found that the consumer’s knowledge about the toxicity of components possibly migrating from the plastic packaging to the food is still limited (only 46% of participants). However, other negative effects of plastics well known to consumers include environmental pollution and marine fauna degradation (67 and 82% of participants, respectively). Thus, it was concluded that the Portuguese population need to be further educated about the toxicity of some chemical compounds present in plastic packaging, which can be ingested by migrating to the food or which can be absorbed from the environmental microplastics resulting from incorrect disposal.

Food Literacy Scale: Validation through Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis in a Sample of Portuguese University Students

“…With regards to the limitations, it is important to highlight the recruitment of participants, which followed a snowball methodology through internet tools on a convenience sample. As previously mentioned, the easy access, facility of recruitment, and readily verification of will to participate, along with the absence of funding requirement to conduct the survey, all contributed to the option of using a convenience sample, having in mind that studies have referred this as a useful approach to conduct exploratory research [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Convenience samples are frequently used in many studies reported on the scientific literature, for surveys about very different topics, precisely due to their advantages [ 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 ].…”

“…Additionally, the data collection took place using online tools, while it is known that personal interviews could constitute a more feasible way for the data collection [ 15 ]. Nevertheless, the procedure would be incredibly more expensive, and it would also take more time to collect the data, and eventually it would not be possible to conduct the research without additional funding.…”

“…In the research we used a convenience sample due to the facility of recruitment and easy verification of will to participate. Although some disadvantages are pointed out to the use of convenience samples, it is also generally recognized that they are very useful for exploratory research [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Although, when using conventional samples, it is not required to conduct a formal calculation of the sample size, it is still a useful indicator to follow in those cases as well.…”