Consumer-Related Food Waste: Causes and Potential for Action

TLDR

Food waste has attracted academic and societal attention in the past decade, is a major sustainability issue with economic, environmental, and social costs, and consumers in developed countries are a leading source. The study aims to clarify the factors shaping consumer perceptions and behaviors that drive food waste, and to guide future research and interventions toward practical solutions. The authors conducted a literature review and expert interviews to identify factors contributing to consumer‑related food waste in households and supply chains. The findings reveal that consumers’ motivation, provisioning and handling skills, and priority trade‑offs strongly influence waste behavior, and that coordinated actions by governments, stakeholders, and retailers are most effective in reducing consumer‑related food waste.

Abstract

In the past decade, food waste has received increased attention on both academic and societal levels. As a cause of negative economic, environmental and social effects, food waste is considered to be one of the sustainability issues that needs to be addressed. In developed countries, consumers are one of the biggest sources of food waste. To successfully reduce consumer-related food waste, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the factors influencing food waste-related consumer perceptions and behaviors. The present paper presents the results of a literature review and expert interviews on factors causing consumer-related food waste in households and supply chains. Results show that consumers’ motivation to avoid food waste, their management skills of food provisioning and food handling and their trade-offs between priorities have an extensive influence on their food waste behaviors. We identify actions that governments, societal stakeholders and retailers can undertake to reduce consumer-related food waste, highlighting that synergistic actions between all parties are most promising. Further research should focus on exploring specific food waste contexts and interactions more in-depth. Experiments and interventions in particular can contribute to a shift from analysis to solutions.