Consumers and Food Waste in France

Abstract

This chapter analyzes consumers’ social representations associated with food waste and their influence on their behavior. A series of semi-structured face-to-face interviews was conducted with 22 individuals, who were heterogeneous in terms of age (21–64, mean age 42), gender, SPC, geographical location, and family situation. The second set of data collection involved administering a questionnaire to 76 consumers aged between 19 and 37 in France. They were asked to give four synonyms on the basis of key words (waste and food waste) and to classify 20 terms presented to them from the most to the least significant as regards the theme of food waste. The results show that food waste depends on the individual’s emotional and gustatory, health-related, economic and/or symbolic, and moral representations. The central core of social representations is around the nature/culture of food. Managerial action should focus on the revalorization of foods and to restoring meaning to the eating/food relationship, orienting consumers toward the hedonic, ethical and symbolic values of food products, and experiences.

Citation

Lavorata, L. and Mugel, O. (2018), "Consumers and Food Waste in France", Lavorata, L. and Sparks, L. (Ed.) Food Retailing and Sustainable Development, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 119-129. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78714-553-520181008