Are consumers more or less averse to wasting organic food?

Abstract

Organic food is often perceived as being more environmentally friendly than non-organic food due to its production methods. However, little is known about how consumers treat organic food compared to non-organic food when it comes to waste. This study aims to fill this gap by examining consumer waste aversion towards organic and non-organic food. The results of four studies show that controlling for perceived price differences, consumers are less averse to wasting organic food than non-organic food. This finding holds across both healthy and unhealthy food. The lower waste aversion towards organic food is driven in part by the decreased perception of environmental harm associated with wasting organic food. These findings suggest that consumers’ perception that a product is sustainable and more environmentally friendly (organic vs. non-organic) may have surprising effects in the food disposal stage, potentially diminishing their reluctance to waste food, a topic that warrants further research.