Household food waste generation during COVID-19 pandemic and unprecedented economic crisis: The case of Lebanon

Abstract

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted economies and food systems globally, leading to substantial consequences on food waste, which is also influenced by political and economic factors. To date, information on the attitudes and behaviors of households regarding food waste generation in developing countries like Lebanon, witnessing a multifaceted economic and COVID-19 crisis, is scarce. Previous studies reported that around one third of the food produced in Lebanon gets lost or wasted. This study aims to update the attitudes and behaviors determining household food waste in Lebanon in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and unprecedented economic crisis. MethodsParticipants (n = 1251) from the five governorates of the country filled out a structured questionnaire composed of 3 sections and 31 questions. The variable “eat everything prepared” was used as a proxy for food waste. The effects of different socio-behavioral and demographic characteristics on household food waste generation in the country were estimated using a Logistic regression on STATA. ResultsMost participants (69%) reported that the economic crisis had a greater impact on their food shopping and eating behaviors compared to the COVID-19 pandemic. In comparison, 65% reported that their household food waste generation did not change because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 47% reported that their household food waste generation decreased because of the economic crisis. Employment status, income, educational level, and the number of householders did not affect food waste generation. Feelings of guilt, thinking of ways to use leftovers, and frequent preparation of more dishes were negatively associated with food waste generation while eating out and buying special offers showed the opposite effect. ConclusionOur findings provide a better understanding of more effective community-based food waste-related interventions in Lebanon. Future research is still needed to explain the medium and long-term effects of COVID-19 and the economic crisis on food waste-related behaviors in the country since the behavioral changes uncovered in the current study might be temporary during the pandemic and the economic crisis and not permanent. This issue should be verified in the future using longitudinal surveys.