The results from the four major questions in this survey produced sets of their own trends and patterns. However, there are also trends that can be noted and applied to consumer perceptions as a whole. The intention of the product images was to gauge what aspects consumers are quick to judge a product on. Based on the reviewed answers, it can be concluded that people often do “judge a book by its cover” and are easily deceived by wording and/or packaging design. This is consistent with Roh and Niederdeppe’s (2016) findings on word framing where they found that the use of different frames brought about different conceptual associations among their participants. Similarly, the data found among this research shows that participants also brought about different conceptual associations based on whether the product displayed specific health benefits or avoidant ingredients (as demonstrated in Image 1). This is why so many unhealthy foods are popular; they are advertised and sold based on the often good taste and lower price, and will frequently leave out negative ingredient details such as high amounts of sugar or carbs. This is done in order to make consumers focus on the positive elements, rather than the negative, and frequently distract consumers from feeling that they even need to bother checking the ingredients.

However, there is also an inconsistency in this topic that can be further explored regarding whether or not consumers favor the idea of healthy benefits in a product, or the unhealthy avoidants more. Past research showed that consumers are typically motivated by what they are actively trying to avoid. On the contrary, results of this study provided evidence that implies consumer favoritism of displayed beneficial ingredients in products over those with avoidants. Future research may benefit by looking further into participants’ product awareness, as well as their level of health intent. This will allow for a better understanding of whether or not a majority of consumers are actively pursuing healthy products and implementing them into their everyday eating habits.

Furthermore, it has been found that authenticity is an important factor for consumers and their relationship with brands. However, selecting a product based on whether or not it can be seen or if it looks healthy represents the idea that people are quick to believe one thing just because of the way it is represented; if a product looks healthy, then it must be healthy, and if the product can be seen then it must not be deceiving. While previous research did not explore clear packaging design specifically, these findings can be related to Kunz et al.'s (2020) ideas of visual impressions having an effect on both taste expectations and healthiness perceptions in consumers. This correlates to consumers being able to see the product as it is a form of visual representation and has a strong effect on consumer perceptions, based on the fact that they can identify the exact color, texture, and size of the product. When it comes to advertising, products are made with the intention to catch the eye of consumers and often distract them from the aspects that are not being shown. With the information that has been provided, advertisers may want to consider investing in a transparent packaging design, as it will display the company as a more transparent and authentic brand.

Similarly, the Organic and Non-GMO Product Graphics (Image2) revealed the lack of knowledge in many consumers caused by advertisements. Consumers’ brains have been trained to associate certain words with healthiness; one of these being “Organic.” When people hear that something is organic, they are quick to assume that the product is good for their health, despite not knowing the true meaning of the word. This was represented in the Image 2 survey question as the selection of Product A was much greater than Product B, despite the fact that many of the respondents admitted to not knowing what the competing product title truly meant. Similar to selecting the product that looked good, consumers often select products that sounded healthier and are associated with health. This concept can be generalized to many products and associations. For example, if a product displays itself as having a “good source of protein,” consumers make the accusation that it is good for them overall. This is represented by Sundar et al. (2021) with The Halo Effect and their example of food that is labeled as “organic” tending to be associated with fewer calories than non-organic products among participants. This is consistent with the information found in this study as many of the participants admitted to not knowing the true meaning of the words “organic” and “non-GMO,” yet they still selected one over the other because of a pre-existing association to healthiness.

Interestingly, the idea of association does not stop there. As noted in past research, “pretty” packaging is often also associated with a healthy product. Image 4 was intended to represent Product A as asymmetrical and clashing, and Product B was intended to represent a “pretty,” symmetric product. However, this is where the first limitation can be presented.