Report: Consumers Crave Convenience, Sustainable Packaging from Prepared Foods

Plant-based packaging company good natured has shared a new “Ready-to-Eat” Report, detailing consumer attitudes towards prepared foods and ready-to-eat meals at grocery stores and the packaging they are served in.

According to the survey, an overwhelming 70% of respondents said convenience was the chief benefit of purchasing prepared foods, followed by time savings at 40%. One in five (21%) respondents said cost savings was the most important reason, followed by 19% who cited smaller food portion sizes.

More than half of respondents said they bought ready-to-eat food items at grocery stores as additional side dishes (56%) and as meals for one (56%). Customers also said they relied on prepared foods for desserts (35%) and appetizers (32%).

As consumers increasingly rely on prepared foods, sustainability is a key factor. A large majority (77%) of respondents consider sustainable packaging crucial, while almost half believe it's the responsibility of retailers to offer eco-friendly alternatives to traditional packaging. Nearly one in three respondents have good intentions to dispose or recycle their food packaging, but don’t know the proper procedures to do so. Only 18% of respondents said that sustainable packaging was not important to them when purchasing prepared foods.

“The key factors consumers keep in mind when shopping for food are visibility and freshness,” said Paul Antoniadis, CEO of good natured. “These factors are illustrated in our various product innovations. Our goal is to make it easy for businesses to choose good natured packaging and not have to think twice about food safety, quality or freshness when choosing eco-friendly packaging options."