The influence of a fun packaging on children’s sensory evaluation of a healthy product

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

This study aims at deepening the knowledge about the influence of packaging on children, more specifically about the impact it has on the post-consumption evaluation they do of the products. The experiment was done through individual interviews to 101 children in Portugal, between 7 and 10 years-old, using a paired comparison technique. Children had to choose between the apples of two different packages - one fun, targeted at children and one more simple and adult-like; although they did not know that inside the package it was the same apple on both. The results suggested that the fun packaged apple tastes better and is more likely to be requested at the supermarket. However, no inferences could be done in terms of differences in the evaluation of smell and sweetness of both apples. Moreover, it was found that the influence on children that live in the rural region is smaller than on those that live in the more urbanized area. In this sense, and since the study was done using a fruit, these findings may reinforce the use of packaging as a tool to promote healthier eating habits on children and they also show its importance in-store and their role in influencing children’s decisions and perceptions.