Younger consumers most averse to plastic packaging, Fresh Trends shows

Nearly half of all consumers say they consciously avoid buying produce in plastic packaging because of environmental and sustainability reasons, according to The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2024 survey of shoppers.

The survey of more than 1,100 consumers found that 44% of respondents consciously avoid buying produce in plastic packaging, while 56% said they do not actively avoid plastic packaging.

Younger consumers and households with dependent children are more likely to say they avoid produce in plastic packaging, according to the survey.

For example, Fresh Trends 2024 found that 60% of consumers aged 18-29 said they avoided produce in plastic packaging, compared with just 29% in the 50-59 age group.

For consumers with dependent children, the highest reported avoidance rate for produce in plastic was found in households with two children (57%), while the lowest avoidance rate (37%) was found in households with no children.

Higher-income households showed slightly more environmental consciousness, according to Fresh Trends 2024.

Forty-five percent of households earning more than $100,000 annually said they avoided produce in plastic packaging, only slightly above the 43% of households earning less than $25,000 a year who said they avoid produce in plastic packaging.

Fresh Trends 2024 indicated some variability in attitudes toward plastic depending on ethnic and regional background.