The influence the serving suggestion displayed on soft cheese packaging has on consumer expectations and willingness to buy

•The serving suggestion on soft cheese packaging influences consumer expectations.•The consumer perceives the cheese to have the qualities of the food accompanying it.•The healthier the serving suggestion is perceived to be, the greater the willingness to buy.

This paper studies the influence that serving suggestions on a popular Spanish soft cheese - known as “queso fresco”-packaging have on consumer expectations regarding certain attributes of the product, its ideal consumption time during the day and the consumer's willingness to buy. Some 247 people participated in this investigation, evaluating 8 attributes and 5 possible consumption times of 5 different soft cheese packages with different accompaniments displayed on the serving suggestions. The results show that the consumer perceives the soft cheese to have the qualities and ideal consumption time based on the accompaniments shown in the serving suggestion. The study also shows that serving suggestion influences willingness to buy since there is a strong positive relationship between willingness to buy and accompaniments that are healthy and for special diets. These results have important implications for soft cheese producers, marketers, and packaging designers.