Exploring the factors behind resistance to innovation in typical food Sector in Sardinia: a qualitative study

New food packaging technologies are developing as a response to consumer demands or industrial production trends towards mildly preserved, fresh, tasty and convenient food products with prolonged shelf-life and controlled quality. This paper argues for greater attention to the factors which cause individual resistance to innovations packaging. In order to achieve the objective, 14 small enterprises were interviewed in Sardinia to identify the main factors that influenced their decision to non adopt new food packaging technologies. A qualitative research approach was used. This study identified one form of innovation resistance – rejection – and three key factors significantly affect the non adoption decision. The results and implications are discussed.