PAIC

PAckaging and Ingredients, Consummer's Perception

Project's title : « Presence of ingredient information in graphic or text form on the front of the package (the packaging): impact on the evaluation of infant and adult food products »

Project manager : THOMAS Fanny

Budget : 24.817€

Financing :  PULSAR project, funded at 50 % by the University and at 50 % by the Region

Scientific Team

Summary

This project is focusing on the perception of food products according to the representations or mentions of ingredients on the packaging and their impacts on the perception and evaluation of products. The regulations being vague, this information constitutes marketing levers that can mislead consumers. The research methods envisaged are hybrid (qualitative, quantitative and behavioral studies) and conducted with parents of young children and adult consumers. Through this practice, we aim to demonstrate the effects of perception bias and wish to raise awareness among public authorities to protect consumers.

Goals

According to the research firm Nielsen, 68% of new product purchases are made based on the design of the packaging, and yet who has not already been disappointed by the composition of a product with an appealing packaging? The survey conducted by CLCV2 in October 2019, shows the presence of misleading images of fruit ingredients on the front of product packaging on the actual amount of these ingredients in the product.
These techniques allow brands to cut costs while enhancing the product, misleading the consumer. In fact, companies are not reprehensible as long as this information on ingredients is highlighted on the label, in any form (word, image or graphic representation) without highlighting any of them. There is currently no minimum threshold of fruit or vegetable below which the fruit or vegetable cannot be highlighted.
Through this research, our objective is to demonstrate that packaging designers can induce consumer perception biases related to these ingredients present on the packaging on product evaluations. Through our work, we wish to lead a reflection on a good practice guide for public policies in order to influence the current regulation concerning food labelling. We hope that it will allow a more ethical positioning of food manufacturers through the design of their packaging (visual proportion and format of ingredients, mention of the quantity and degree of transformation of the ingredient...).
This project is a continuation of the marketing research on packaging of the multidisciplinary project BBSAIN (BéBé et Santé Alimentaire, Innovations et impact des Ingrédients Naturels) which ends in summer 2020. It proposes to deepen the results of the studies that have been carried out on products intended for children under 36 months and to extend the study to adults.