The effect of sustainable packages on consumers' attitude towards healthy foods

This paper aims at analyzing the effects of pack sustainability on consumers’ attitude. Across three studies, we showed that the presence of a sustainable (vs. unsustainable) package increases consumer’s attitude towards the related packed food. However, such attitudinal difference is demonstrated only for healthy (vs. unhealthy) foods. In this case, consumers use the higher mis-perceived satiation triggered by the contemporaneous presence of a sustainable package and a healthy food as a heuristic in determining their attitude. Unhealthy foods packed in a sustainable package do not differ in terms of perceived satiation and do not increase consumer's attitude. From a theoretical perspective this research identifies pack sustainability as a new extrinsic cue aiming at modifying consumers' perceptions about foods’ ability to fulfill their appetite. Moreover, our findings present practical implications for package design and health policymaking.