Consumer Preferences on Packaging Materials of Food Spread Products

Abstract

As opposed to today’s packaging trends, the key focus of packaging used to be on the covering and safety aspects of the product. At the same time, nowadays, consumers are looking for packaging that offers convenience, reliable functionality and also appearance. In addition, major improvements in food distribution have affected food packaging due to environmental issues, including the globalization of the food supply, consumer preferences for fresher and more convenient foods, as well as a preference for healthier and higher-quality foods. Consumers are requesting that food packaging materials be more natural, disposable, potentially biodegradable, and recyclable. Thus, this survey is mainly aiming to investigate the customer’s opinion and view on the types of packaging and the criteria of the packaging of food spreads available in the market. Biodegradable plastic tube packaging was suggested in this survey in order to introduce a new form of packaging for food spreads products. A survey was conducted to discover answers to unique and relevant questions about the opinion of consumers and view on the types of packaging and the criteria of the packaging of food spreads. The survey questions covered a wide variety of subjects. The questionnaire was answered by 152 female and male respondents. A survey was conducted via online using Google Form. Findings from the study showed mix responses and opinions on the packaging preferences of the food spread products with more than 50% of the respondents agreed with the conception of plastic tube food spreads packaging. The choice and preferences are based on the individual’s personal likings and experience of use of the current products in the market. The choice of selection of the types and preference of the packaging of food spreads does not correlate with the consumers’ demographic with no significant difference (p ˃ 0.05). The choice and preferences are based on the individual’s personal likings and experience of use of the current products in the market. The data obtained were also highly consistent and valid as the value was proven through Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α = 0.957) which was bigger than 0.8. It can be concluded that plastic tube packaging can be a potential form of new packaging for food spreads products in the future market that could add value to the food products particularly. The marketing function of consumer packaging seems to be recognized among practitioners, yet academic research in this area is still quite limited. Therefore, this study is the first to provide broad information about Malaysian consumers’ perception of food spread packaging materials, properties and sustainability. Findings from this study can contribute to further detailed consumer studies in product-specific packaging designs and application.