U.K. researchers say there’s clear evidence that foodservice brands are negatively perceived by consumers when their wrappers are discarded and viewed alongside other garbage as street litter. The researchers acknowledge the role of litterbugs in tossing the packaging, and they don’t point to public policy as the answer, but they say their findings indicate that it’s in the interest of manufacturers to help improve society’s litter problems. “There is a good commercial reason why fast food operators should take more of an interest in what happens to their packaging once it leaves their premises,” says Dr. Stuart Roper of the University of Manchester, who co-authored the study with professor Cathy Parker of Manchester Metropolitan University.
