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ABSTRACT
Feta is a traditional Greek cheese. Although, it is one of the most famous products of Greece and in a number of cases, synonym to the Greek food quality, its packaging is very simple, in terms of geometry and its promotion is based on label design and graphics. Taking advantage of the principles of industrial design engineering and the use of advanced CAD/CAM systems, the present research aims to propose a number of different innovative packaging designs for this product. These designs can be used for both the everyday consumption as well as the feta cheese touristic promotion. The proposals are expected to offer a further added value to the already world known feta cheese and increase its sales. At the same time, the product could be clearly distinguished from other types of white cheese available in the market that compete with the original feta cheese.
Keywords: Feta Cheese Packaging; Package Design; CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing); Industrial Design Engineering.
1. INTRODUCTION
Since 2002, feta cheese has been a protected designation of origin product. According to the relevant EU legislation, only those cheeses produced in a traditional way in some areas of Greece and made from sheep's milk or from a mixture of sheep and goat milk (up to 30%), may be named "feta". The term "feta" in Greek means "slice", which is based on the way that feta cheese is cut to be served as a starter.
The importance of packaging hardly needs stressing, as only a handful of food products are sold in bulk nowadays (Robertson, 2010). Under certain circumstances, a product's packaging may be a vital factor in consumer decision making, because it allows consumers to draw inferences about the product, its attributes, or (in the case of foods and beverages) its taste (Becker et al., 201 1).
It is a fact that around 25% of the ex-factory cost of consumer foods is for packaging. As a result it provides the incentive and the challenge for food packaging technologists to design and develop functional packages at minimum cost (Underwood and Klein, 2002). Providing adequate protection to the products, without over packing them, they remain acceptable throughout their lifecycle. This is a demanding process that requires in depth knowledge...