Abstract Most of the discarded plastics originate mainly from food and beverage packaging, thus the consumer's perception of biodegradable packaging must be understood. This study aimed to investigate the consumer perception of biodegradable packaging films made of pectin and whey protein isolate. An online questionnaire was conducted to assess the consumer responses. Results showed that the majority of consumers (77.3%) did not observe the biodegradability of the packaging during purchase, although biodegradable packaging can positively affect the purchase decision (71.9%). The acceptance, purchase intention, and preference are influenced by visual aspects, and the consumers preferred lighter and more transparent films, with less saturated colors. Consumers established correlations between color and transparency with film thickness and resistance, these correlations were not observed in the physical analysis of the film. In addition, a variety of applications were highlighted for the films produced, demonstrating the effectiveness of these materials for food and beverage packaging.