The Impact of Responsible Food Packaging Perceptions on Naturalness and Healthiness Inferences, and Consumer Buying Intentions

Abstract

The research presented in this article examines the relationship between consumer perceptions that a food package is responsible (sustainable) and consumers’ intention to purchase the product that it contains. On the basis of the relevant literature, a conceptual model is proposed where this relationship is hypothesized to be mediated by two variables: the product’s perceived naturalness and healthiness. A first study was conducted with the objective of developing a scale with good psychometric properties to measure the perceived naturalness of a food product. The objective of the second study was to test the validity of the two-mediator conceptual model. The results show that the extent to which a food product package is seen as responsible (i.e., recyclable, reusable, compostable) has a positive and statistically significant impact on consumers’ intention to buy it, and that it is through the sequential mediation of the product’s perceived naturalness and healthiness that this relationship unfolds.

What do consumers care about when purchasing experiential packaging?

“…The relationship between sustainability and consumer attitudes and buying intentions for packages has been evidenced in the literature (D'Astous and Labrecque, 2021; Ketelsen et al. , 2020).…”

“…From a methodological perspective, such research analyses consumers' emotional responses usually through qualitative studies (Liao et al, 2015;Rundh, 2013;Silayoi and Speece, 2004), by using experimental designs based on focus groups and conjoint analysis (Chitturi et al, 2022;Elkhattat and Medhat, 2022;Eldesouky et al, 2016;Fernqvist et al, 2015;Kobayashi and Benassi, 2015;Schuch et al, 2018;Steenis et al, 2017). Quantitatively, analyses have been limited to the study of frequencies or correlations (D'Astous and Labrecque, 2021;O'Callaghan and Kerry, 2016) and researchers have used small samples and/or referred to a single country (Aday and Yener, 2015;O'Callaghan and Kerry, 2016;Schuch et al, 2018;Steenis et al, 2017). Furthermore, to our knowledge, the relationship between packaging attributes and intention to purchase experiential packages has not yet been sufficiently studied.…”

“…, 2017). Quantitatively, analyses have been limited to the study of frequencies or correlations (D'Astous and Labrecque, 2021; O'Callaghan and Kerry, 2016) and researchers have used small samples and/or referred to a single country (Aday and Yener, 2015; O'Callaghan and Kerry, 2016; Schuch et al. , 2018; Steenis et al.…”

The Relationship between Food Healthiness, Trust, and the Intention to Reuse Food Delivery Apps: The Moderating Role of Eco-Friendly Packaging

“…The next domain is that of the moderating effect of eco-friendly packaging. Previous research has contended that eco-friendly packaging functions as a clue for product appraisal [ 60 , 61 ]. Though it is not sufficient for appraising certain products precisely, packaging enables consumers to estimate their quality [ 20 , 61 ].…”

Research on Influencing Factors of Food Choice and Food Consumption

“…Not so much knowledge, but especially trust in the labels appeared to be important in this matter [ 6 ]. Investigating types of packaging, d’Astous and Labrecque found that a product package that is believed to be responsible (i.e., recyclable, reusable, compostable) triggers perceptions of the product being natural and healthy, which enhances consumers’ intention to buy the product [ 7 ]. Three manuscripts discuss product presentation styles.…”