Consumer behaviour types in household food waste

Talia, Elisa Di; Simeone, Mariarosaria; Scarpato, Debora

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.12.216

Cited by 128 publications

(155 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Another interesting aspect that emerges is that for the Green Cluster, concern over food safety and proper storage is one of the main reasons for food waste, accompanied by difficulties in interpreting the expiration date on labels, confirming what has been shown by other studies [12,15,28]. In this regard, in accordance with the literature, considering that consumers seem to be very confused and show difficulties in interpreting the actual meaning of the expiration date and the date of minimum durability, a simplified food labelling regulation could represent a potential antiwaste strategy [7,15]. Additionally, educational initiatives are needed to help consumers correctly interpret the date of minimum durability, as well as efforts to increase consumer acceptability of food that is less fresh or nearing its expiration date.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

“…Compared with the recent research carried out in Italy [10,15,28,29], this paper presents original in-depth contributions regarding the geographical area considered and the methodology chosen. Since southern Italian regions, according to previous studies [30], have been shown to produce lower levels of food waste than regions in northern Italy, an in-depth analysis of the drivers behind food waste in this area could be considered an interesting case study.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Misinterpretation of date labels, for example, or lack of understanding and following labelling instructions for proper storage are recognised as prominent drivers [4,5]. Previous studies showed that European consumers seem to be very confused and show difficulty in interpreting the actual meaning of the expiration date and the date of minimum durability (as required by Regulation 1169/2001/EU) [7,[13][14][15].By contrast, planning food shopping with a shopping list or checking existing provisions before shopping may contribute to lowering the amount of food wasted [16] as well as the use of leftovers [8,17]. However, the literature highlights the existence of several factors limiting this practice linked to consumers' risk perception about leftovers safety or lack of knowledge on how to reuse it [18,19].Another stream of the literature highlights the central role of concerns in influencing wasteful behaviour.…”

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Household Food Waste: A Case Study in Southern Italy

et al. 2020

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To achieve the goal of reducing consumer-related food waste in developed countries, it is necessary to have an in-depth understanding of the factors shaping food waste, both in the household as well as at the point of purchase. Despite a growing number of studies on the subject, especially in recent years, the evidence on drivers of food waste and barriers to its reduction is somewhat conflicting. The current paper contributes to existing knowledge on food waste behaviour at the consumer level, providing original results from a direct survey conducted with a sample randomly selected in southern Italy to reveal consumer awareness, concerns and intentions towards food waste and to ascertain the existence of different consumer profiles with similar food waste behaviour. Since southern Italian regions have been shown to produce lower levels of food waste than regions in northern Italy, an in-depth analysis of the drivers behind food waste in this area could be considered an interesting case study. Our findings showed the existence of several consumer behaviour profiles that influenced household food waste generation. Strategies to reduce waste should take such differences into account in order to promote changes in food waste behaviour.Sustainability 2020, 12, 1495 2 of 13 the household level make it difficult for commercial actors as well as policy makers to develop effective food waste reduction campaigns [6].In order to reduce food waste in developed countries, it is necessary to gain an in-depth understanding of the factors determining food waste at the consumer level, both in the household as well as at the point of purchase. Identified social drivers connected to consumer behaviour and lifestyles are related to (a) unconscious preferences, such as preferences for certain aesthetic standards or food types, that can be difficult to modify; (b) individual behaviour that may be modifiable through information and strengthened awareness; and (c) sociodemographic factors [3,4,7].Regarding individual behaviour, consumers' routines related to shopping and consumption constitute one of the main drivers of food waste, such as food overprovisioning during shopping, overpreparation and incorrect storage [8]. Among the causes identified for overprovisioning, the literature includes bulk purchases but also marketing and sales strategies implemented by producers and retailers [7,9]. Extensive research shows that communication strategies as well as promotional offers have a considerable negative effect on individual wasteful behaviour, prompting consumers to buy more than actually needed [5,[10][11][12]. Other studies have highlighted that individual wasteful behaviour is also driven by factors related to current legislation or policy. Misinterpretation of date labels, for example, or lack of understanding and following labelling instructions for proper storage are recognised as prominent drivers [4,5]. Previous studies showed that European consumers seem to be very confused and show difficulty in interpreting the actual meanin...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Household Food Waste: A Case Study in Southern Italy

et al. 2020

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“…The large proportion of women in our sample (75%) is probably associated with the inclusion criterion, since the main responsibility for housework, and particularly cooking, remains with women [51]. A similar bias was also documented in other studies [40,44,52,53].…”

Section: The Samplesupporting

confidence: 65%

Exploring the Drivers behind Self-Reported and Measured Food Wastage

2019

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Understanding households’ food waste drivers is crucial for forming a coherent policy to meet the sustainable development goals. However, current studies have documented mixed evidence regarding food waste determinants. Most studies have relied on self-reports, assuming they reflect actual behaviors. This study applies a structural equation model that evaluates both self-reported and measured food wastage, and how they are affected by different households’ attributes, attitudes, and behaviors. As such, it also provides a test for the underlying logic that self-reports are a proxy for actual food waste. Results show that measured food wastage is, at best, weakly correlated with self-reports. Moreover, drivers affecting self-reported and measured food wastage are not necessarily the same. Household size affects only measured food wastage. Source separation behavior negatively affects self-reported and measured food wastage, while environmental attitudes have a negative effect only on self-reports. Meal planning, unplanned shopping, and food purchased have no impact on self-reported and measured food wastage. The relation between self-reported and actual food waste and their drivers are even less understood than we thought. The distinction between self-reports and actual waste is crucial for follow-up research on this subject as well as assessing policy measures.

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The impact of sustainability on marketing strategy and business performance: The case of Italian fisheries

et al. 2021

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In the last years, sustainability has become a successful, relevant, critical factor in several food industries. The adoption of a sustainable marketing strategy contributes positively to changes in society in terms of environmental, social and economic development. The relationship between sustainability and business performance has been widely debated in management and organisational studies. However, despite its importance and relevance, fishery sustainability has not been systematically considered by scientific studies. This paper identifies and analyses the critical factors that describe the propensity towards sustainable development for large companies within the Italian fishery sector. For this purpose, the relationships among the following latent variables were analysed: sustainable social behaviour, sustainable environmental behaviour, sustainable marketing, and return on investment. A theoretical research model has been proposed and empirically tested using a methodology based on structural equation modelling.

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Consumer behaviour types in household food waste

Cited by 128 publications

References 18 publications

Household Food Waste: A Case Study in Southern Italy

Household Food Waste: A Case Study in Southern Italy

Exploring the Drivers behind Self-Reported and Measured Food Wastage

The impact of sustainability on marketing strategy and business performance: The case of Italian fisheries

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