{
  "abstract": "Upcycling food, that is, repurposing food that would otherwise go to waste for human consumption, is an important strategy for reducing food waste. As upcycled foods enter the market, understanding consumer acceptance is essential for their success. This study investigated whether packaging affects consumer perception of two upcycled products on the Irish market: an oat bite bar and a granola containing brewer’s spent grain. A field-based consumer tasting study was conducted with 336 participants in non-controlled environments using a between-subjects design. Participants were randomly assigned to either a blind condition, in which products were evaluated without packaging, or an informed condition, in which packaging was provided during tasting. Participants rated overall liking, purchase intention, willingness to pay (WTP), and completed a check-all-that-apply (CATA) questionnaire. Packaging did not significantly affect overall liking, purchase intention, or WTP. However, granola was significantly more accepted than oat bite regardless of information condition, and both products received positive acceptability scores overall. Participants commonly described both products as “oaty” and “healthy”, while “dry” and “gritty” textures were associated with lower acceptance. Women reported higher WTP than men, although average WTP remained below market price for both products. Packaging also influenced WTP differently across older age groups for the oat bite, but not for the granola. The findings suggest that packaging had limited influence on consumer acceptance, possibly due to unclear messaging, competing information, low consumer interest, or limited consumer attention. Product quality, particularly texture and taste, was the main factor in driving acceptance regardless of information.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, Ireland",
    "Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padova, Padova, Italy",
    "UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, Ireland; Corresponding author."
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Joy Chidinma Nnadiegbulam"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Qamar U Zaman"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Niamh Harbourne"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Simona Grasso"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/57nde9jjpwq8a.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.fufo.2026.101212",
  "fulltext_url": "http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666833526003126",
  "id": "57nde9jjpwq8a",
  "issns": [
    "2666-8335"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fufo.2026.101212",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "lcc",
      "TP368-456"
    ],
    [
      "lcc",
      "TX341-641"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1406|Consumer Packaging Perceptions and Trends"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214767587",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666833526003126/pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-30",
  "publisher": "Elsevier",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/57nde9jjpwq8a.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T13:43:39Z",
      "native_id": "4be1ad33965542779ce35cb574d6b852",
      "source": "doaj",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fufo.2026.101212"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "lcc:TX341-641",
      "subfield": "nutrition"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Reducing food waste, one bite at a time...but did anyone notice? Irish consumers' evaluation of commercial upcycled foods with and without packaging",
  "title_text": "Reducing food waste, one bite at a time...but did anyone notice? Irish consumers' evaluation of commercial upcycled foods with and without packaging",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T13:43:39Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/57nde9jjpwq8a",
  "venue": "Future Foods",
  "versions": []
}