Abstract
Studies on the drivers of household consumer engagement in various food waste reduction strategies have been limited. We thus address this gap by developing a research model that utilises two well-known theories, namely, the Theory of Interpersonal Behaviour (TIB) and the Comprehensive Model of Environmental Psychology (CMEP), to explain food waste reduction behaviour in household consumers. The model hypothesises positive associations between emotional, social, and cognitive factors and food waste reduction behaviour, as conceptualised using the 3Rs (reuse, reduce, and recycle). A total of 515 U.S. household consumers participated in the cross-sectional survey. The results suggest that emotional (anticipated guilt), social (sense of community), and cognitive factors (awareness about consequences and environmental knowledge) were positively associated with food waste reduction behaviour. However, the study results did not support the association between a sense of community and reuse intentions. Moreover, anticipated guilt and awareness of consequences were significant drivers of the reuse and reduce food waste behaviours, respectively. The age of the study participants also had a significant controlling influence on the reduce intentions. The study findings have significant implications for governments, policymakers, marketers, and academics that are interested in developing strategies to mitigate the impact of food waste.
Highlights
The growing magnitude, complexity, and relevance of food waste have attracted the attention of scholars as well as practitioners (Issock, Roberts-Lombard, & Mpinganjira, 2020; Dhir, Talwar, Kaur, & Malibari, 2020)
The current study examines the role of emotions, cognitive factors, and social factors in driving food waste reduction intentions
This study has examined the relatively under-explored topic of food waste reduction intentions among household consumers
Summary
The growing magnitude, complexity, and relevance of food waste have attracted the attention of scholars as well as practitioners (Issock, Roberts-Lombard, & Mpinganjira, 2020; Dhir, Talwar, Kaur, & Malibari, 2020). Food waste is a major problem for many developing and devel oped nations and has various environmental and economic implications (Filimonau et al, 2020). Global statistics have shown that close to 800 million people are facing un dernourishment or suffering from hunger (Bravi et al, 2020) and this food security problem can be solved by reducing food waste (Galli et al, 2019). Global food waste is valued at $1 trillion annually, causing a significant financial burden (Septianto, Kemper, et al, 2020). This avoidable food loss adversely affects the incomes of food supply chain members (suppliers and consumers) and contributes towards the monetary losses of both individuals and national economies (Heidari et al, 2019)
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