Self-reported Food Waste Research Articles

Assessment of Self-reported Food Waste from Households via Two Routes in Pakistan

Assessment of Self-reported Food Waste from Households via Two Routes in Pakistan

Need to Change, Want to Change, or Hard to Change? Targeting three dinner food waste profiles with regard to attitudes and personality traits

In 2015, the United Nations’ sustainable development sub-goal 12.3 called for halving food waste per capita by 2030. In Norway, dinner leftovers are the largest consumer food waste category, particularly in households with children. To reduce household food waste, we hypothesised that different strategies for different consumer profiles are necessary and aimed to document self-reported food waste in relation to consumers' attitudes and personalities. In a survey, 333 consumers with children reported their perceived dinner waste (PDW). In addition, we collected the respondents’ attitudes towards food waste, as well as their environmental awareness and personality traits in order to classify them into three previously identified personality-environmental awareness segments. Our results show that Need to Change consumers (30%), characterized by Emotional Control and Openness to Experience, reported the highest PDW and showed reluctance to reduce food waste, making them a key target for interventions. Want to Change consumers (54%) reported the lowest PDW and showed high motivation to reduce food waste, but a further reduction from this segment would have less societal impact. Hard to Change consumers (15%), characterized by Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and low Openness to Experiences, reported medium PDW. Engaging this segment could have a moderate impact, but they might be harder to reach. Our findings support the idea that environmental awareness and personality traits should be taken into consideration when developing strategies to reduce household food waste. Targeted intervention recommendations to reach each profile are derived.

Convenient tools and social norms: Measuring the effectiveness of an intervention to reduce household food waste

Halving food loss and waste is the target of the UN's Sustainability Development Goal 12.3, and household food waste constitutes a substantial part of global food waste. Effective interventions that decrease household food waste are urgently needed, and these could target various underlying behaviours such as planning, storing, preparing and consuming. There is a lack of studies that develop interventions based on theory and that compare different intervention options. Moreover, in testing the effectiveness of such interventions, possible influences caused by the measurement method need to be assessed. The current study explores two interventions, based on the Motivation-Opportunity-Ability framework, to test if combining a tool package (containing various waste-reducing tools such as a measuring cup, stickers, leaflets, recipes) with a motivational message based on social norms is more effective than the tool package alone. Additionally, it examines the effects of using a self-reported survey measurement for household food waste, to ensure that results are not caused by increased consumer awareness of food waste due to measurement alone. Findings show that the tool package significantly improves waste-preventing behaviours, and decreases self-reported food waste by 39.2% (experiment 1) and 23.0% (experiment 2). Effects on waste-preventing behaviours are stronger when social norm elements are added in the intervention. Results of the second experiment indicate that effects of self-reported measurement are minimal, which provides initial support for the use of self-reported food waste measurement in intervention testing albeit that underreporting remains an issue and more research is needed.

A comparison of online and in-store grocery shopping behaviour and its effects on household food waste

The rapid growth of online grocery shopping can have significant economic, social and environmental implications. However, the influence of changing consumer food acquisition practices on household food waste has received less attention in the literature. Moreover, there is a dearth of household studies that account for zero values of self-reported food waste. Using a large national-level dataset (n = 5272) and a robust zero-inflated ordered probit modelling approach, this paper compares the influence of online grocery shopping and in-store grocery shopping behaviours on household food waste. Findings indicate that there is a strong positive and statistically significant relationship between online grocery shopping and household food waste. More frequent grocery shopping and higher grocery spending are associated with generating greater household food waste. Formulating strategies to help consumers to minimise food waste at home could provide a strategic competitive advantage for retailers.

It is just wrong: Moral foundations and food waste

Household food waste is one of the major obstacles to meeting global emission targets. Yet, it seems that we still do not fully understand why some people are more driven than others in their engagement to reduce household food waste. Here, we take a new perspective and examine (a) the perceived morality of food waste as a driver for food waste behavior and (b) whether interventions that associate food waste with either the moral foundation of harm or disgust can increase both intentions to reduce food waste and to engage more in future meal planning. Across two study phases (N = 698 and 446; respectively), we found support for our hypothesis that the belief that food waste is morally wrong is negatively associated with self-reported food waste. Moreover, we found that a harm manipulation, relative to a disgust manipulation and a control condition, increased participants’ intention to reduce food waste and future meal planning intentions via food waste moral judgment, but only for those individuals who were at mean or higher values on the care foundation. A disgust manipulation, in contrast, compared to a harm manipulation, directly elicited stronger intentions to reduce food waste and to plan meals, but again only for those who endorsed the associated purity foundation. Our findings suggest different cognitive mechanisms for individuals who ground their morality in the care and the purity foundations and thus have several implications for practice and future research.

Use-up day and flexible recipes: Reducing household food waste by helping families prepare food they already have

In two 5-week randomized-controlled field studies, Canadian and US households were invited to make one meal per week from food that might otherwise be discarded, using flexible recipes. In the first study (Canada), tools to increase the salience of unused food (storage basket, clips to tag, or whiteboard) were also explored. A second study (US) examined a shorter program and the addition of follow-up reminders. Food waste was assessed with a self-reported food waste measure. Intervention groups reduced their food waste significantly versus baseline by 33% (Canada) and 46% (US) and versus control by 27% (Canada) and 33% (US). The salience tools (study 1) or duration (study 2) had no impact. Eight weeks after the intervention food saving continued although the intervention conditions no longer differed significantly from control. In the US, change in Perceived Behavioral Control partially mediated the impact of the intervention on food waste reduction.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket: Testing an integrative model of household food waste

Scholarly investigations into household food waste have advanced our knowledge of its determinants by focusing on food management behaviors (FMB) and by using the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Drawing on literature from environmental psychology, we created and tested a comprehensive framework that not only encompasses TPB and FMB, but also individual goals and values, which, we argue, can advance understanding of why people waste food. Using a two-wave survey design with a quasi-representative sample of the UK population (N = 1,336 participants), we tested our framework with Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Broadly, results indicated support for our framework in that individual values were associated with short-term cognitions and participants’ goals, particularly the goal to behave responsibly, which were in turn associated with FMB and intentions; these, finally, were associated with self-reported food waste. Overall, our results indicate that food waste is the result of different cognitive and behavioral processes.

Consumer-related antecedents of food provisioning behaviors that promote food waste

Household food waste has serious negative consequences for the environment and the society. Food waste results from food provisioning behaviors, however, there is little evidence regarding consumer-related factors that drive such behaviors. The aim was to investigate the antecedents of key food provisioning behaviors related to food waste and of motivation to reduce food waste. A cross-sectional online survey (N = 508) conducted in Denmark showed that excessive buying and discarding foods past the best before date were mainly driven by individual tendencies such as impulsive buying tendency or disgust sensitivity. Consumers’ frugal, environmental and hedonic self-identities were associated with higher motivation to reduce food waste, whereas the first two identities were also associated with lower likelihood of discarding food past the best before date. Consumers’ frugal self-identity and disgust sensitivity were directly associated negatively, respectively positively, with self-reported food waste as well. Excessive buying and motivation to reduce food waste were the most important proximal drivers of self-reported food waste. Implications for public policy are discussed.

Food insecurity, food waste, food behaviours and cooking confidence of UK citizens at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown

PurposeThe current pilot study explored food insecurity, food waste, food related behaviours and cooking confidence of UK consumers following the COVID-19 lockdown.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 473 UK-based consumers (63% female) in March 2020. A cross-sectional online survey measured variables including food insecurity prevalence, self-reported food waste, food management behaviours, confidence and frequency of use of a range of cooking methods, type of food eaten (ultra-processed, semi-finished, unprocessed) and packaging type foods are purchased in.Findings39% of participants have experienced some food insecurity in the last 12 months. Being younger, having a greater BMI and living in a smaller household were associated with food insecurity. Green leaves, carrots, potatoes and sliced bread are the most wasted of purchased foods. Polenta, green leaves and white rice are the most wasted cooked foods. Food secure participants reported wasting a smaller percentage of purchased and cooked foods compared to food insecure participants. Overall, participants were most confident about boiling, microwaving and stir-frying and least confident with using a pressure cooker or sous vide. Food secure participants were more confident with boiling, stir-frying, grilling and roasting than insecure food participants.Practical implicationsThis has implications for post lockdown policy, including food policies and guidance for public-facing communications.Originality/valueWe identified novel differences in self-report food waste behaviours and cooking confidence between the food secure and insecure consumers and observed demographics associated with food insecurity.

How the Extended Theory of Planned Behavior Can Be Applied in the Research of the Influencing Factors of Food Waste in Restaurants: Learning from Serbian Urban Centers

This study is based on the general notion that restaurants should find more responsible solutions to dispose of the large amount of food that is not consumed. Moreover, the food wasted has great environmental, social and financial impacts, and yet this issue is still insufficiently presented in contemporary studies on food waste management. This paper applied the extended theory of planned behavior as a theoretical framework to elicit consumers’ behavior concerning food waste. A standard paper and pen survey recorded quantitative data provided by 221 respondents. The findings reported the following: (1) personal attitudes toward food waste positively affect an individual’s intention not to waste food; (2) perceived behavioral control positively affects an individual’s intention not to waste food; (3) the intention not to waste food negatively affects self-reported food waste behavior; (4) negative environmental attitudes negatively affect intention not to waste food; (5) hygiene-based food waste negatively affects perceived behavioral control. This study contributes to understanding consumers’ food waste behavior in restaurants and might have practical implications in the hospitality sector.

My style, my food, my waste! Consumer food waste-related lifestyle segments

Adapting responsible food marketing practices to different customer types can make a valuable contribution to reducing food waste. The current study investigated the relation between food (waste)-related lifestyle patterns and self-reported food waste, choices for suboptimal food, and food waste awareness using a survey with 4214 consumers across five Northern and Western European countries. Results show differences in food wastage, suboptimal choices, and awareness for five clusters of consumers identified on the basis of food (waste)-related lifestyle patterns. Findings of commonalities allow deriving food marketing actions targeted to these different consumer lifestyles.

Evaluation of Household Food Waste Generation in Hanoi and Policy Implications towards SDGs Target 12.3

The issue of food waste, especially in developing economies, is a puzzle. Hanoi was selected as a case study to examine the current situation of food waste generated by consumers through daily habits/practices and to evaluate options for preventing and reducing food waste at the policy level through a literature/policy review and interview-style survey. An analysis of responses found that the self-reported food waste generation rate in Hanoi averaged 1192 g/day/household in urban areas and 1694 g/day/household in rural areas; cooking waste generated during meal processing/preparation accounts for more than 70% of the total; less than 20% of respondents separated out kitchen waste for reuse/recycling before disposal; expiration dates and deteriorating quality were cited as primary reasons for food waste at home in contrast with larger portions and over-ordering outside the home; leftover food is used indirectly as animal feed in urban areas and directly in rural areas; and most respondents indicate a willingness to reduce, reuse, and recycle food waste. To achieve SDG target 12.3, policymakers and practitioners must develop comprehensive food waste policies and actions targeting the entire supply chain, implement practical food waste management systems, and promote sufficiency strategies for saving food, reducing food waste, and maintaining health and well-being.

Food for thought: Comparing self-reported versus curbside measurements of household food wasting behavior and the predictive capacity of behavioral determinants

A survey, based on an expanded Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), was used to indirectly measure self-reported food wasting and its behavioral determinants. This was complemented with directly and objectively measured food waste in curbside garbage samples. Households (n = 189) reported throwing out avoidable food waste a mean of 5.48 times (SD = 5.58) and 6.63 portions (SD = 6.61) the week prior to completing the survey. These same households threw out a mean of 2,783 g/week of food waste (SD = 2,664) in a curbside garbage sample, with 63.27% of this consisting of avoidable food waste. There were weak to fair correlations between self-reported and curbside food waste samples. The direction and level of significance of all correlations of TPB behavioral determinants with self-reported and curbside food waste samples were similar, although the correlation coefficients were higher for self-reported food wasting. A linear regression (R2 = 0.34, p < 0.001) on self-reported avoidable food waste frequency demonstrated that it was significantly (p < 0.05) associated with perceived behavioral control, personal attitude, number of people per household, gender and employment status. This was contrasted with a linear regression (R2 = 0.19, p < 0.001) on curbside avoidable food waste which was also significantly (p < 0.05) associated with perceived behavioral control and number of people per household, but also housing tenure type (owner-occupancy vs tenancy) and the good provider identity. In general, self-reported results should be used with caution as they may underestimate food waste disposal and consideration should be given to supplement, if not replace, them with direct measurement of food waste disposal.

Socio-Demographic Predictors of Food Waste Behavior in Denmark and Spain

Food waste generated at the household level represents about half of the total food waste in high-income countries, making consumers a target for food waste reduction strategies. To successfully reduce consumer food waste, it is necessary to have an understanding of factors influencing food waste behaviors (FWB). The objective of this study was to investigate socio-demographic predictors of FWB among consumers in two European countries: Denmark and Spain. Based on a survey involving 1518 Danish and 1511 Spanish consumers, we examined the associations of age, sex, education, marital status, employment status, and household size with FWB. By using structural equation modeling based on confirmatory factor analysis, we created the variable FWB from self-reported food waste and two activities that have been correlated with the amount of food wasted in previous studies: namely, shopping routines and food preparation. Results show that being older, unemployed, and working part-time were associated with less food waste behavior in both countries. In Denmark, being male was associated with more food waste behavior, and living in a household with four or more people was associated with less food waste behavior. These results underscore the modest role of socio-demographic characteristics in predicting food waste behavior in Europe.

Food waste in rural households support for local biogas production in Lubelskie Voivodship (Poland)

The paper examines self-reported food waste volume generated by a sample of rural households in Lubelskie Voivodship in Poland accounting for four different categories of food waste. Food waste does occur and some of it is unavoidable leading to the question how to manage it. This study identifies factors responsible for the volume of self-reported food waste by category, but also identifies factors influencing the decision to collect food waste in household for the purpose of local biogas production. Tobit technique is applied to identify factors, demographic and socio-economic characteristics of consumers and their households that influence the percentage of wasted food by type. A separate decision equation identifies supporting or limiting factors influencing the decision to sort food waste for biogas production. Education, gender, age, household size, and employment status have been identified as relevant characteristics determining the volume of wasted food and the decision to support using food waste for biogas generation.

Convenience or price orientation? Consumer characteristics influencing food waste behaviour in the context of an emerging country and the impact on future sustainability of the global food sector

Abstract The extent of food waste raises concern about its effect on natural resource use, food security and future sustainability of the international food sector. It is expected that emerging countries with a growing middle class will exhibit a similar extent and pattern of consumer-related food waste, which is disturbing given that food waste coexists with food insecurity. However, the topic is yet under-researched, as are potential actions against food waste. Through an experimental survey, individual consumer characteristics explaining self-reported food waste at home and choice of price-reduced suboptimal food otherwise wasted in stores were explored among a sample of 1124 Uruguayan consumers. Results showed that food waste was higher among price and convenience-oriented, but lower for value conscious consumers. Choice of suboptimal food was more likely for price-oriented consumers and less likely for convenience-oriented ones. Gender and age explained wastage and choice of suboptimal food. Perceived norms did not play any role, but perceived quality of suboptimal food had a major effect. For packaged foods, value consciousness decreased suboptimal food choice likelihood, while convenience orientation decreased the latter for fresh foods. Consumer price orientation impacted food waste when related to eating food waste incidents more than to storage food waste incidents. The findings show that convenience orientation is a driver of food waste behaviours both when shopping and at home. However, findings imply that tackling food waste requires context-specific consumer-targeted strategies: food market stakeholders should appeal to value consciousness in the household, and perceived quality and price orientation in the store.

Bringing habits and emotions into food waste behaviour

This study examined consumer food waste behaviour using a comprehensive model integrating the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the theory of interpersonal behaviour, and the comprehensive model of environmental behaviour. Using a temporally lagged design, one hundred and seventy-two respondents answered four questionnaires over a period of 14 months. Questionnaires measured emotions in relation to food waste, habits, the TPB variables, intention to reduce food waste, and self-reported food waste behaviour. Results showed that the less well-studied variables of habits and emotions were important determinants of participants’ intentions to reduce food waste and their current food waste behaviour. As expected, we found that negative emotions were associated with greater intentions to reduce food waste, but contrary to our predictions they were also associated with higher levels of food waste behaviour. In other words, participants who experienced more negative emotion when thinking about food waste intended to reduce their waste but actually ended up wasting more food. Results also show that participants with a greater sense of control, and more normative support for reducing food waste also had stronger intentions to engage in the behaviour. Our findings extend existing understanding and underscore the importance of the non-cognitive determinants of behaviour, namely emotions and habits. The implications for research and practice are discussed.

Can social media be a tool for reducing consumers’ food waste? A behaviour change experiment by a UK retailer

This paper reports on a landmark study to field-test the influence of a large retailer to change the behaviour of its millions of customers. Previous studies have suggested that social media interaction can influence behaviour. This study implemented three interventions with messages to encourage reductions in food waste. The first was a social influence intervention that used the retailer’s Facebook pages to encourage its customers to interact. Two additional information interventions were used as a comparison through the retailer’s print/digital magazine and e-newsletter. Three national surveys tracked customers’ self-reported food waste one month before as well as two weeks after and five months after the interventions. The control group included those who said they had not seen any of the interventions. The results were surprising and significant in that the social media and e-newsletter interventions as well as the control group all showed significant reductions in self-reported food waste by customers over the study period. Hence in this field study, social media does not seem to replicate enough of the effect of ‘face-to-face’ interaction shown in previous studies to change behaviour above other factors in the shopping setting. This may indicate that results from laboratory-based studies may over-emphasise the effect of social media interventions.

Determinants of consumer food waste behaviour: Two routes to food waste

Approximately one quarter of the food supplied for human consumption is wasted across the food supply chain. In the high income countries, the food waste generated at the household level represents about half of the total food waste, making this level one of the biggest contributors to food waste. Yet, there is still little evidence regarding the determinants of consumers' food waste behaviour. The present study examines the effect of psycho-social factors, food-related routines, household perceived capabilities and socio-demographic characteristics on self-reported food waste. Survey data gathered among 1062 Danish respondents measured consumers' intentions not to waste food, planning, shopping and reuse of leftovers routines, perceived capability to deal with household food-related activities, injunctive and moral norms, attitudes towards food waste, and perceived behavioural control. Results show that perceived behavioural control and routines related to shopping and reuse of leftovers are the main drivers of food waste, while planning routines contribute indirectly. In turn, the routines are related to consumers' perceived capabilities to deal with household related activities. With regard to intentional processes, injunctive norms and attitudes towards food waste have an impact while moral norms and perceived behavioural control make no significant contribution. Implications of the study for initiatives aimed at changing consumers' food waste behaviour are discussed.

Avoiding food waste by Romanian consumers: The importance of planning and shopping routines

Food waste is generated in immense amounts across the food life cycle, imposing serious environmental, social and economic consequences. Although consumers are the single biggest contributor to this volume, little is known about the drivers of food waste in households. This exploratory study aims to investigate the role of food choices and other food-related activities in producing food waste. A survey of 244 Romanian consumers examined the influence of intentions not to waste food, planning and shopping routines, as well as moral attitudes and lack of concern towards wasting food, a subjective norm of disapproval towards food waste, and perceived behavioural control on consumers’ self-reported food waste. Results show that consumers’ planning and shopping routines are important predictors of food waste. Planning and shopping routines are determined by moral attitudes towards food waste and perceived behavioural control. This implies that in order to change consumers’ food waste behaviour, efforts should be directed towards providing consumers with skills and tools to deal with their food-related activities.