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A master's thesis from Aalborg University
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DESIGNING INTELLIGENT FOOD PACKAGING CONCEPTS FOR THE CONSUMER END OF THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN: A CONSUMER ORIENTED DESIGN APPROACH FOR THE DUTCH FOOD PACKAGING MARKET

Author

Term

4. term

Publication year

2017

Submitted on

Pages

98

Abstract

Mademballagens grundlæggende opgave er at indeholde og beskytte maden. Nye teknologier kan gøre emballage mere intelligent — de kan forlænge holdbarheden, øge fødevaresikkerheden og give nyttig information eller andre smarte funktioner. Efterhånden som intelligent emballage bliver mere udbredt, giver den både udfordringer og muligheder for forbrugerne, især i forbrugerleddet af fødevareforsyningskæden. Dette studie undersøger, hvordan intelligente emballagekoncepter kan udvikles for netop dette led ved hjælp af en forbrugerorienteret tilgang. Vi tog udgangspunkt i forbrugernes perspektiv ved at observere adfærd i et supermarked og indsamle holdninger til intelligent emballage. Vi anvendte også en designmetode kaldet urban songlines og afholdt en fokusgruppe. Indsigterne herfra blev brugt i en konceptudviklingsproces, der kombinerede flere designmetoder for at fremme kreativitet og innovation. Blandt nederlandske forbrugere i alderen 25–30 år er interessen for intelligent emballage stor, når den tydeligt gavner hverdagen. De sætter pris på øget bekvemmelighed og klar information om maden i emballagen. Prisen må ikke blive for høj, og der ønskes ikke ekstra emballageaffald. Med udgangspunkt i disse indsigter udviklede vi tre intelligente emballagekoncepter, der kan implementeres i forbrugerleddet af fødevareforsyningskæden. Funktionerne har til formål at gøre brugen mere bekvem og at informere brugerne om indholdet.

The basic job of food packaging is to hold and protect what we eat. New technologies can make packaging smarter—extending shelf life, improving safety, and providing useful information or other intelligent functions. As intelligent packaging becomes more common, it brings both challenges and opportunities for people, especially at the consumer end of the food supply chain. This study explores how to design intelligent packaging for that stage using a consumer-oriented approach. We started with the consumer perspective by observing shopper behavior in a supermarket and collecting their views on intelligent packaging. We also used a design method called urban songlines and held a focus group. Insights from these activities fed into a concept development process that combined several design methods to stimulate creativity and innovation. Among Dutch consumers aged 25–30, interest in intelligent packaging is strong when it clearly benefits everyday life. People value greater convenience and clear information about the food inside. They do not want high added costs or extra packaging waste. Using these insights, we developed three intelligent packaging concepts suitable for the consumer end of the food supply chain. Their functions aim to make use more convenient and to inform users about the contents.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]