Which behaviours matter? Prioritising food waste reduction behaviours for targeted policy and program approaches

Abstract

More than half of the waste in the global food system's consumption stage comes from households, which therefore represent a critical entry point to tackle this challenge with its combined social, economic, and environmental impacts. Yet there is a tension for policy makers between promoting food waste reduction behaviours to householders and overloading them with too many options that make them less likely to engage. This study utilises an Impact-Likelihood methodology to identify the range of behaviours associated with household food waste reduction and to group them according to their impact and likelihood of adoption, as well as their current adoption rates. Scores for these measures were generated using data from an expert elicitation survey of food waste policy makers and practitioners, as well as a large-scale householder survey. The Impact-Likelihood matrix for household food waste reduction behaviours generated in this study identifies potential priority behaviours that are both impactful in tackling the substantive challenge of food waste and have a high likelihood of uptake by householders. As such, the matrix provides strategic research and decision support for policy makers in prioritising specific behaviours for more targeted engagement with householders in different geographical or jurisdictional contexts.