Towards sustainable food and packaging choices: Consumer perception of quality and sustainability of pulses packaged in metal, glass, and plastic

Authors: THOMAS, LAUREN - Michigan State University; DLAMINI, NOMZAMO - University Of Massachusetts; Cichy, Karen; SWADA, JEFFERY - Michigan State University; MAYHEW, EMILY - Michigan State University

Submitted to: Journal of Food Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/11/2025
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Dry beans and chickpeas are nutrient rich pulses. Since dry pulses generally require long cooking times, consumers often prefer to purchase ready to eat beans and chickpeas. Canning is the process used in the food industry to cook the beans under high pressure and temperature in a retort. The most common packaging for ready to eat beans is aluminum cans, but glass jars and plastic pouches are gaining in popularity. The goal of this study was to determine in the case of a chickpea and yellow bean, if consumers prefer the appearance and flavor of these pulses canned in either aluminum cans, glass jars, and plastic pouches, and which they consider the most sustainable packaging. In total 109 consumers participated in the sensory study. Glass jars were rated to be the highest quality and most sustainable packaging material, while plastic pouches were rated to be lowest quality and least sustainable. In general, consumer idealization of glass packaging as more sustainable packaging material is not supported by environmental impact data, suggesting a need for increased consumer education on packaging material sustainability to combat generalization. While the results of this study showcased a high affinity for glass packaging, it also demonstrated what pulse quality and packaging attributes consumers value in general – such as a product which has high overall liking, non-transparent packaging, convenience, and packaging that can be resealed. These preferred packaging attributes from this study could be incorporated into future packaging in order to align with consumer expectations and a need for increased packaging sustainability.

Technical Abstract: Dry beans and other pulses have many environmental, nutritional, and health benefits – yet are continuously undervalued by consumers. Barriers to pulse consumption extend to ready-to-eat (RTE) canned options, as they are viewed as a low-quality food. Additionally, consumers currently have misperceptions related to food packaging sustainability, as glass sustainability is overestimated while plastic sustainability is underestimated, despite sustainability of food packaging being very multifaceted. This study aimed to understand the impact of packaging on acceptance (overall, appearance, texture, flavor liking) of RTE yellow beans and chickpeas within metal can, glass jar and plastic pouch packaging. Perceptions of the product quality, product convenience, trust in product, and perceived sustainability of each product and packaging were also assessed, as well as how consumer’s sustainability attitudes and demographics influenced packaging attribute responses. Blind-coded serving samples processed within metal cans performed the most consistently for participants (n = 109) across sensory modalities, while yellow beans within plastic pouches and chickpeas within glass jars were least preferred. Glass jars were rated to be the highest quality and most sustainable packaging material, while plastic pouches were rated to be lowest quality and least sustainable, with most participants selecting to purchase the glass jar over the metal can or plastic pouch. Age, diet type, and sustainability attitudes were found to be significant (p < 0.05) predictors of packaging attribute ratings. Results from this study can contribute to innovation and improvements to RTE pulse products, while also expressing need for increased consumer education pertaining to packaging sustainability.