Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Definition
Executive Summary
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- The issues
- Freshness is most important when shopping for food
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- Figure 1: Food shopping priorities, April 2018
- 62% of shoppers say on-pack information is important to choice
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- Figure 2: Food packaging statements – Information, April 2018
- Packaging integrity outweighs design
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- Figure 3: Impact of packaging format/design, April 2018
- The opportunities
- 74% of food shoppers look for an expiration date on-pack
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- Figure 4: Label communication, April 2018
- 35% of consumers say reducing packaging waste is important to them
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- Figure 5: Food packaging statements – Waste, April 2018
- 18% of food shoppers are particular about formats when shopping online
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- Figure 6: Impact of packaging format/design – Online purchase, April 2018
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- 73% of grocery shoppers buy their food at traditional supermarkets
- Freshness is most important when shopping for food
- Chilled launches on the rise
- Updates to labeling likely to increase attention to packaging
Market Factors
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- 73% of grocery shoppers buy their food at traditional supermarkets
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- Figure 7: Food shopping channel – Food purchase, April 2018
- Food shoppers are most likely to shop non-refrigerated aisles, chilled launches grow
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- Figure 8: Food sections shopped – Food purchase, April 2018
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- Figure 9: Food launches, by storage type, 2014 and 2018*
- Women make up a slightly larger share of grocery shoppers
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- Figure 10: Share of grocery shopping responsibility, by gender, August 2017
- Freshness is most important when shopping for food
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- Figure 11: Food shopping priorities, April 2018
- Women are significantly more likely than men to seek healthy food
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- Figure 12: Food shopping priorities, by gender, April 2018
- Freshness particularly resonates with older shoppers
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- Figure 13: Food shopping priorities, by age, April 2018
- Asian shoppers have an above-average interest in health
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- Figure 14: Food shopping priorities, by race, April 2018
- Food manufacturers should keep snackers in mind
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- Figure 15: Snacking frequency, March 2017
- Updates to labeling legislation likely to increase attention to packaging; provides opportunity for rethinking packaging
- Changes to the Nutrition Facts label
- GMO disclosures and labeling
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- A third of food launches are packaging updates
- Pouches remain popular
- Environmentally friendly packaging claims decline
- Consumers are turned off of products that aren’t clearly definable
What’s Working?
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- A third of food launches are new packaging
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- Figure 16: Food launches, by launch type, 2014 and 2018*
- Pouches remain popular
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- Figure 17: Food launches, by leading package type, 2014 and 2018*
- Figure 18: Food launches, by leading package material, 2014 and 2018*
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- Figure 19: Food launches, by leading package closure, 2014 and 2018*
- Small formats, convenience, and fanciful illustrations find appeal
What’s Struggling?
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- As on-pack claims rise, environmentally friendly packaging claims decline
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- Figure 20: Food launches, by top five claims, 2014 and 2018*
- Figure 21: Food launches, by leading packaging-related claims, 2014 and 2018*
- Consumers are turned off of products that aren’t clearly definable
What’s Next?
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- Highlighting claims
- Protecting the product
- Allowing customization
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Large (bulk) formats are more popular than small (single-size) formats
- 62% of shoppers say on-pack information is important to choice
- 74% of food shoppers look for an expiration date on-pack
- Packaging integrity outweighs design
- 35% of consumers say reducing packaging waste is important to them
Pack Size
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- Large (bulk) formats are more popular than small (single-size) formats
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- Figure 22: Food packaging statements – Size, April 2018
- 18-24s are more likely than older shoppers to purchase single-serving sizes
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- Figure 23: Food packaging statements – Size, by age, April 2018
- Large formats are particularly important to households with children
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- Figure 24: Food packaging statements – Size, by presence of children, April 2018
Importance of On-Pack Information
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- 62% of shoppers say on-pack information is important to choice
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- Figure 25: Food packaging statements – Information, April 2018
- Men are more likely to think packaging is becoming too cluttered
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- Figure 26: Food packaging statements – Information, by gender, April 2018
- Information on-pack is most important among older shoppers
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- Figure 27: Food packaging statements – Information, by age, April 2018
Label Communication
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- 74% of food shoppers look for an expiration date on-pack
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- Figure 28: Label communication, April 2018
- Expiration date, ingredients, calories, and servings resonate with largest share of shoppers
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- Figure 29: TURF Analysis – Label communication, April 2018
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- Figure 30: Table - TURF Analysis – Label communication, April 2018
- Women are more likely than men to look for specifics
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- Figure 31: Label communication, by gender, April 2018
- Older shoppers pay particular attention to ingredients
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- Figure 32: Label communication, by age, April 2018
- Expiration date is even more important among label readers
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- Figure 33: Label communication, by agreement with packaging statements (information), April 2018
- Expiration date is especially important among those who buy large formats
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- Figure 34: Label communication, by agreement with packaging statements, April 2018
Ingredient Depictions On-Pack
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- Photos of ingredients on-pack score high
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- Figure 35: Correspondence Analysis – Perception of food label attributes, April 2018
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- Figure 36: Perception of food label attributes, April 2018
- Ingredient photos have a strong association with health among women
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- Figure 37: Perception of food label attributes – Photo of ingredients, by gender, April 2018
- Ingredient photos score well with younger shoppers
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- Figure 38: Perception of food label attributes – Photo of ingredients, by age, April 2018
Impact of Packaging Format/Design
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- Packaging integrity outweighs design
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- Figure 39: Impact of packaging format/design, April 2018
- Younger shoppers are more invested in packaging
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- Figure 40: Impact of packaging format/design, by age, April 2018
- Lower earners are most likely to turn away from faulty packaging
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- Figure 41: Impact of packaging format/design, by household income, April 2018
- Online
- 18% of food shoppers are particular about formats when shopping online
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- Figure 42: Impact of packaging format/design – Online purchase, April 2018
Packaging Waste
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- 35% of consumers say reducing packaging waste is important to them
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- Figure 43: Food packaging statements – Waste, April 2018
- Close to half of natural market shoppers aim for packaging waste reduction
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- Figure 44: Food packaging statements -- Waste, by food shopping channel, April 2018
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Correspondence analysis methodology
- TURF methodology
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
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