Checking in on Consumer Perceptions of Foodservice Packaging

If you’ve been with FPI for a while, you may be familiar with the history of our consumer perceptions surveys. If not, allow us to provide some background. Back in 2019, we wanted to understand how consumers thought about their foodservice packaging. Despite our immersion in the foodservice packaging industry, we couldn’t be sure we knew exactly what consumers thought. So, we conducted our first consumer perception survey focusing on adults in the U.S. and Canada. Then, in 2021, while in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, we repeated the survey to see if opinions had changed.

Now, it’s 2025, we’re firmly past the pandemic, and a spotlight remains on foodservice packaging. What do consumers think about the cup holding their coffee on the way to work in the morning, the take-out containers, or the utensils they use at a catered office lunch? To get an inside look at those consumer views, we once again worked with a third party to conduct a survey where the majority of the questions remained the same with a few new questions added to address some proposed ideas within the industry.

As with previous surveys, some of the results validated things we knew while some of the results were surprising. It wasn’t surprising to see that more than 55% of adults in the U.S. and more than 60% of adults in Canada continue to use single-use packaging at least once a week, but it was a little surprising to see that these numbers represent a slight decrease from the 2021 survey for U.S. consumers and a slight increase for Canadian consumers.

Another unsurprising result was around different performance attributes of single-use foodservice packaging. When asked about seven different performance attributes, both the U.S. and Canadian respondents said that being leak- or spill-proof and stopping stains remain the most important performance attributes of single-use foodservice packaging, followed closely by protection from tampering. They also continue to agree on the most important benefits. The clean and sanitary nature of single-use foodservice packaging was seen as the most important benefit, with the convenience of being able to take food on the go coming in a close second. This is in line with 2021 and 2019.

In relatively unsurprising findings, following similar responses in the previous surveys, consumers continue to view the possibility of single-use foodservice packaging ending up as litter on land or in waterways as the most concerning issue. After surprising us with a decrease in concern from 2019 to 2021, that level of concern has remained steady from 2021 to 2025.

Getting a holistic view is always part of our goal, so we once again asked questions about reusables, along with single-use items. When respondents in the U.S. and Canada think about the benefits of reusables, they see the environmental attributes, along with the sturdy nature of reusables, as the top benefits. Just like in 2021, respondents in the U.S. and Canada disagree on the number one benefit, with sturdiness remaining as the most important benefit in the U.S. Continuing the trend of similar results to 2021 is the top concern regarding resusables — that they’re not clean and sanitary.

Are you surprised by any of these findings? Do you agree or disagree with some of the top perceptions? Want to learn more about current consumer perceptions of foodservice packaging?

Many of the survey findings can be found in the executive summary. The full survey, including additional opinions on consumer behavior, purchasing decisions and what matters most, is available to FPI members.