Testing consumer responses to new packaging concepts 561 extend and thus consumers will receive food less fresh than formerly (Mikkola n addition to oxygen absorbers and TTls, a wide range of absorbers, emitters and indicators have been developed or are under development (Hurme et al 2002). Some of them offer benefits for all actors in the food chain, others to onl some. Leak indicators are developed to detect if modified atmosphere packages leak and thus the quality and safety of the product is in jeopardy. If damaged packages can be removed from the shelf before the consumer buys them this will guarantee better quality for the consumer and improve safety. The drawbacks are additional cost and waste. The crucial question is how these indicators will affect the price and who is going to pay. If the price rises, the consumer will be the final payer but if the indicators are financed through decreased spoilage and losses the consumer benefit is clear. Ethylene absorbers can keep fruit and vegetables fresh for longer and reduce waste but some of the compounds used can be toxic if ingested. Flavour-scalping materials can modify the flavour of the product, maintain it fresh by absorbing unwanted compounds and by emitting flavours in citrus fruit(Hurme et al., 2002). The success of these hask bitter solutions will depend on how consumers perceive their benefits and whether they are willing to pay extra for these The existing studies illustrate that asking consumers their attitudes towar active and intelligent packaging in general bears little relevance to the acceptance of distinct packaging solutions, since most consumers have only a vague idea about what different terms mean. nonetheless when consumers are presented with different applications that belong to this category, they can accurately evaluate the possible benefits these applications can provide for them Therefore the acceptance of active and intelligent packaging has to be studied eparately for each application. The general attitude studies and focus group discussions give an idea of the factors that cause concern among consumers in packaging issues but the product related responses can reflect these worries to a varying extent and often differ from general concerns. The realistic examples of products presented to consumers may help them to evaluate their responses in relation to other motivations present in food choice situation. Clear demonstrations also provide information about how the indicators work and increase trust in them. When something is presented as an abstract idea the application may sound more technical, distant and also scary than when the real application can be observeded Further development in intelligent and active packaging will provide ompletely new benefits to consumers. So far the intelligent packaging concepts have dealt with the safety and quality aspects of foods. In the future, it is likely that intelligent and smart tags can contain abundant information about the product characteristics, the amount of information being now limited by the available space on the package. Each product can be labelled to provide targeted information about the origin and composition of the product. The information may include the nutrient content and possible allergens in the products. Also theextend and thus consumers will receive food less fresh than formerly (Mikkola et al., 1997). In addition to oxygen absorbers and TTIs, a wide range of absorbers, emitters and indicators have been developed or are under development (Hurme et al., 2002). Some of them offer benefits for all actors in the food chain, others to only some. Leak indicators are developed to detect if modified atmosphere packages leak and thus the quality and safety of the product is in jeopardy. If damaged packages can be removed from the shelf before the consumer buys them this will guarantee better quality for the consumer and improve safety. The drawbacks are additional cost and waste. The crucial question is how these indicators will affect the price and who is going to pay. If the price rises, the consumer will be the final payer but if the indicators are financed through decreased spoilage and losses the consumer benefit is clear. Ethylene absorbers can keep fruit and vegetables fresh for longer and reduce waste but some of the compounds used can be toxic if ingested. Flavour-scalping materials can modify the flavour of the product, maintain it fresh by absorbing unwanted compounds and by emitting desired compounds to the product. Some materials are used to mask bitter flavours in citrus fruit (Hurme et al., 2002). The success of these packaging solutions will depend on how consumers perceive their benefits and whether they are willing to pay extra for these. The existing studies illustrate that asking consumers their attitudes towards active and intelligent packaging in general bears little relevance to the acceptance of distinct packaging solutions, since most consumers have only a vague idea about what different terms mean. Nonetheless, when consumers are presented with different applications that belong to this category, they can accurately evaluate the possible benefits these applications can provide for them. Therefore the acceptance of active and intelligent packaging has to be studied separately for each application. The general attitude studies and focus group discussions give an idea of the factors that cause concern among consumers in packaging issues but the product related responses can reflect these worries to a varying extent and often differ from general concerns. The realistic examples of products presented to consumers may help them to evaluate their responses in relation to other motivations present in food choice situation. Clear demonstrations also provide information about how the indicators work and increase trust in them. When something is presented as an abstract idea the application may sound more technical, distant and also scary than when the real application can be observeded. Further development in intelligent and active packaging will provide completely new benefits to consumers. So far the intelligent packaging concepts have dealt with the safety and quality aspects of foods. In the future, it is likely that intelligent and smart tags can contain abundant information about the product characteristics, the amount of information being now limited by the available space on the package. Each product can be labelled to provide targeted information about the origin and composition of the product. The information may include the nutrient content and possible allergens in the products. Also the Testing consumer responses to new packaging concepts 561