I can't think of any specific cases, but I know there were times where an interesting packaging caught my eye enough to give it a shot, but since I can't remember what they were, that alone obviously wasn't enough for me to buy it twice.

A burrito isn’t a real burrito if it doesn’t come wrapped in foil.

Same with tamales and corn husks.

Not aluminium foil, but that restaurant grade thin aluminum foil bonded to a thin wax paper. Same with Shawarma.

Have you seen the efforts of bottle design within the liquor and spirits industry. McDonalds Big Mac boxes and fry cartons etc. I'mma answer this with a big, fat YES!

It's a huge industry not just in manufacturing packaging, but in consumer psychology, marketing and design to make products more appealing. A good tweak bumps sales 5% is a very big and desirable deal.

Edit: A huge component of cullinary training is presentation. Beyond making food taste good, it's appeal is that it also looks good. "Plating" lessons apply to every form of food from shelves of grocery stores, convenience snacks, fast food joints, to fine dining. The little window in the plastic bag of chips that lets you see the product. The foil lined paper lid that kept the heat in the poutine so the cold curds would heat and melt into the poutine. Etc...

anyone who is formally trained in food will tell you, yes.

because it's true.

For soups it's about clarity. I generally eat produce so it's mostly vacuum seals or legibility that do it for me.

Stuff like junk food etc all look the same to me. So long what I need to know is legible and clear.

By "container" do you mean product packaging, dishes, or things like bread and tortillas?

I mean, yeah, if the serving dish is visibly dirty that's a no-go.

I don't like eating things that are too pretty or too cute, so yes.

I forget if it was Julia Child or A. Bourdain who said it, but this reminded me: the "prettier" the plate, the more fingers have touched it.

Presentation absolutely matters. Not sure what to say about containers though.

Yeah I used to ship food in bulk so I saw a lot of which packing materials and container types compromised food products before they reached the store.

I don't fuck with frozen baked goods, cold cut meat, and especially not with any dairy shipped or sold in a glossy paper container. That fucking glossed container makes me drink to this day.

(Satan's jizz)