Exploring the effects of packaging color on product evaluation: A systematic review of experimental studies and a future research agenda

This systematic review synthesizes findings from 32 articles based on 55 experimental studies conducted across 18 countries to examine how packaging color dimensions—hue, saturation, and brightness—influence consumer perceptions of food tastiness and healthiness. Consistent patterns emerge: warm hues generally increase expectations of sweetness and flavor intensity, whereas cool hues are more often associated with healthiness, particularly in the case of utilitarian products. Darker and more saturated colors tend to signal less healthy but tastier products, suggesting that consumers equate hedonic expectations with unhealthiness. The review shows that color mainly influences consumers' perceptions before tasting. After tasting, packaging color has little effect on perceived tastiness, but perceptions of healthiness may continue to be affected by certain color dimensions. Beyond highlighting converging findings, the review identifies several gaps that could inform a future research agenda. For example, it would be interesting for subsequent studies to move beyond the predominant focus on red, blue, and green to examine a broader range of hues used in food packaging. They could also report precise and standardized color coordinates to enhance methodological transparency and facilitate replication. A broader investigation across diverse food categories, especially utilitarian products, is also needed to strengthen the generalizability of packaging color effects. Moreover, as current evidence is largely drawn from Western contexts, future research could take cultural and geographic variation into consideration to capture context-dependent color perceptions by extending investigations to underrepresented regions.