摘要：Background: The growing urban lifestyle of consumers in Thailand has been driving demand for packaged convenience food. New trends in packaging technologies e.g. smart packaging, active technology, RFID., etc. can be used as a business tool for a competitive advantage in the food industry to comply with consumer lifestyles. Aims: This paper aims to identify and validate the decision factors for selecting new trends of food packaging technology to support the food packaging industry in Thailand in producer firms’ viewpoints. Firstly, the author reviewed the literature to find out general factors in selecting any technologies to set guideline for design questions in questionnaires about decision factors in selecting food packaging. Secondly, the questionnaires were distributed to 40 representatives of food packaging firms in Thailand to find out their decision factors concerned. By the facts that the development of new trends of packaging in Thailand is mostly driven by only large firms. Hence, thirdly, the author performed in-depth interviews with executives in 8 leading and top largest food firms in Thailand to confirm that advanced packaging technology whether has opportunities of growth in the food industry in Thailand or not. Results: Respondents from food packaging firms in Thailand expressed their interests in four areas in selecting new technology of packaging, including (1) the technology aspect, (2) marketing and business competition aspect, (3) financial and economical aspect, and (4) strategy, society and environment aspect. Conclusion: A lack of raw materials and local technology still make the cost prohibitive to boom the advanced packing.
