Package Picks

What do consumers want in a package?

That question and others were asked in a poll published last year in Packaging Magazine, which has now merged with Packaging Digest. The poll has been conducted annually since 1985, says Mary Ann Falkman, executive editor of Packaging Digest.

Here are some of the 1994 findings:

* About 85% of the nearly 700 respondents said recycling used packaging is extremely important or somewhat important. About 75% said they recycle, up from 70% in 1991. But only 25% say the recyclability “often” affects their decision to buy one package rather than another.

* One-third said they would reject a product that appears to have too much packaging, reflecting a trend to what the packaging industry calls “source reduction.”

* The demand for microwave packaging is down--40% of those surveyed demanded this feature, compared to 43% in the previous year’s survey.

* Plastic packaging is favored over glass or blister packs for vitamins, pain relievers, allergy medicine and cough remedies.

* Tamper-evident packaging is more in demand for personal-care products. Two-thirds of the respondents expect shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste or mouthwash to be packaged in such containers.

* More than half of respondents consider the nutritional information on products informative, but 44% call it confusing.