Abstract
The rising trend of people dining out has made food waste in restaurants become a significant issue because of sustainability. Consumers’ attitudes toward food waste in restaurants are still undergoing scrutiny. The main purpose of this study was to test the relationships among consumers’ attitudes, social norms, behavioral intentions, and plate waste behaviors in restaurants in Taiwan. This paper contributes to the understanding of consumers’ food waste behaviors by examining a hypothesized research model. Based on a questionnaire with 464 restaurant customers, the hypothesized research model was examined by using structural equation modeling. Sequential mediation for examining the relationships of variables was conducted, and it was found that there was a significant serial mediation effect on the path of consumers’ attitudes, behavioral intentions, food waste behavior, and consumer plate waste. The results of this study can contribute to better engaging consumers in mitigating food waste in restaurants. Implications and suggestions for further research and recommendations for restaurant managers are provided based on sustainable management.
Highlights
Food waste has become a main challenge for sustainability [1]
Behavioral intention (R2 = 0.618), food waste behavior (R2 = 0.045), and consumer plate waste (R2 = 0.120), which are endogenously latent in a row, can be expressed as weak for food waste behavior and consumer plate waste, and strong for behavioral intentions
The results suggest essential academic meaning, since we propose a causal chain relationship model of the consumers’ attitudes (CA)-behavioral intentions (BI)-food waste behavior (FWB)-consumer plate waste (CPW) paradigm as an acceptable model fit
Summary
Food waste has become a main challenge for sustainability [1]. It is an essential topic of environmental, societal, and economic concern [2]. In recent years, it has gained growing public, academic, and political attention [3]. Barthel, and Macnaughton [4] stated that food waste can happen at any stage of the food supply chain. This includes those who produce and process food, such as farmers, food manufacturers, and processors, and those who provide food for consumption, including the hospitality industry, retailers, and others. The cost of food waste is staggering: water resources used to irrigate crops, as well as fertilizers and fuels used in production and transportation, are wasted at the same time
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