Identifying opportunities to increase food-to-go packaging lifetimes based on the current conceptualisation of food-to-go

A substantial contributor to adverse environmental effects is the £18.9bn UK food-to-go (FTG) market. There is a clear need for more regenerative and pro-environmental behaviours within food systems. Lifetime extension is a strategy within a circular economy which enables keeping products in use for longer. To extend FTG packaging’s life, part of the dialogue required is understanding why and how limited FTG packaging lifetimes occur through disentangling current social behaviours around FTG retailing and consumption. A content analysis of literature from the global market intelligence agency ‘Mintel’ was conducted, identifying two key opportunities to encourage regenerative behaviour in FTG: (1) viewing FTG as an established industry ripe for disruption; and (2) focusing on the experience of FTG as a meal format. Barriers to regenerative behaviour were also identified including FTG’s transient nature making it hard for companies to have control over consumers’ use of the product; the extensive ‘convenience culture’ (CC) paradigm that permeates much of Britain’s consumption behaviours; and the connection between impulse purchases and FTG products.