Perception of Naturalness of Food Packaging and Its Role in Consumer Product Evaluation

ABSTRACT

The aim of this article is to understand the concept of food “naturalness,” as it is perceived by the consumer via the packaging. The research is based on a qualitative study from which three types of experimental packaging were constructed (emotional, functional, and mixed) and a quantitative study carried out on 163 French consumers. The research identified two dimensions of food naturalness and related them to credibility, attractiveness, quality, and purchase intention, with differences according to the three types of packaging tested. The highlighting of their role in the perception of the naturalness of a food product should help managers to avoid overexposure of the concept.

KEYWORDS:

• naturalness
• healthy product
• ecological product
• packaging
• labeled products
• consumer behavior

Acknowledgment

The author gratefully acknowledges Liza Bergara, NEOMA Business School (Reims campus) Master’s student and currently European Product Manager at BIC, for her help in the construction of packaging.

Notes

¹ The brand chosen is a former French brand (Perliz) that was taken off the market about 3 years ago. We therefore assume that the brand is little known. In 2006, its market share in terms of turnover was 0.5% in France in the dry foodstuffs market. The first part of the questionnaire enabled us to identify consumers who have a specific knowledge of this brand, and these were finally eliminated.