In the system of values of the consumer society, health has become a fundamental determinant of quality of life, and it has evolved into a major factor in economic and social policy. According to the Resource Library online, “The Consumer behavior definition is the dynamic interaction of affect and cognition, behavior, and the environment by which human beings conduct the exchange aspects of their lives. In addition, the overt actions of consumers, and the behavior of the consumer or decision maker in the market place of products and services. It often is used to describe the interdisciplinary field of scientific study that attempts to understand and describe such behavior.”
Within a 24 hour period, everything I have was packaged. Every Tuesday and Thursday I have class. That means there is no time to cook. By the time I leave school, I have to go and pick up my daughter from school. Afterwards, we stop at home, she does her homework, change her clothes and we are off to her tee ball practice. Leaving her practice I normally stop at a fast food place and grab us something to eat. That way she does not have to wait for me to cook, because I like her in the bed by a certain time on school nights. Almost nothing is healthy at fast food restaurants. From the burger to the fries, even the cups that the drinks come in are packaged. I know it is terrible for the environment, but a lot of times, I do it for the convenience. What a selfish thing for me to say, but I am working on being more sustainable. 
A recent food article talked about food packaging and the environmental issues affected by packaging. The article stated, fast-food chains are under pressure to reduce the amount of solid waste they generate, and Maine has banned fruit drinks in aseptic packages (juice boxes). Yet, packaging is integral to today's life style. Nowhere would the loss of modern packaging be more quickly felt than in the food processing and distribution system. In underdeveloped countries where packaging is minimal or nonexistent, food losses of 30-50 percent are not uncommon. In the United States, packaged food losses are less than 3 percent, while fresh food losses are 10 to 15 percent. Reduced food losses lower food costs. As a society we are trying more now than before. We have come a long way with sustainability but still have so much more to do. (421)
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