Topic: Effects of Package Design on Consumer Expectations of Food Product Healthiness

1.0 Introduction

During the last decades in food consumption have been observed several trends that have to do with changes in social and economic environment as well as in lifestyle. The working patterns, the increased employment of women, the lack of time, the income growth and several other factors led to the trend for fast food, convenience foods and food out of home (Petzoldt, Joiko & Menrad 2008). But the same time for many decades now, the citizens of Western developed countries have moved away from primary production and they procure the necessary food from supermarkets grocery stores and various kinds of large and small food stores, in small or large cities where they live. Thus urbanization has resulted in increased consumption of packaged and processed food; consumers are now seeking their food in packages on the shelves of food stores. Packaged foods have the largest market share of food in developed countries and there is a trend for big increase in their market share in developing countries as the income of consumers increases (USDA 2011). The distance between the production of raw material and food consumption, as well as the various food crises that have arisen recently, has made consumers to feel more or less insecure and suspicious for what they eat. This fact and the recommendations of scientists and nutrition experts have led to a new trend in food consumption, the trend for a healthy diet. Health has been named as the most significant trend and innovation driver in the global food and drinks market (Meziane 2007). Health plays a dominant role in contemporary discussion of food. Healthy eating is regarded as one of the most important means of health promotion not only in political programmes and strategies, but also in public discussion.