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Household food wastage in Montenegro: exploring consumer food behaviour and attitude under COVID-19 pandemic circumstances

Zeljko Vasko (Faculty of Agriculture, Institute of Agricultural Economics, University of Banja Luka, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Sinisa Berjan (Faculty of Agriculture, University of East Sarajevo, Lukavica, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Hamid El Bilali (International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM-Bari), Valenzano, Italy)
Mohammad Sadegh Allahyari (Department of Agricultural Management, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran) (Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa)
Aleksandra Despotovic (Biotechnical Faculty, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro)
Dajana Vukojević (University of East Sarajevo, Lukavica, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Adriana Radosavac (Faculty of Applied Management, Economics and Finance, University Business Academy in Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia)

British Food Journal

ISSN: 0007-070X

Article publication date: 18 August 2022

Issue publication date: 21 March 2023

248

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the research was to determine food consumer behaviour and attitudes towards food consumption and household food waste in Montenegro. Since the period of conducting the research coincided with the expansion of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Montenegro (10–14 weeks since its outbreak), the results of this research could indicate the emerging pandemic circumstances.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 529 consumers were surveyed online, and 514 questionnaires met the requirements of further statistical processing. Data were processed by methods of descriptive statistics and chi-square test of association between socio-economic characteristics of respondents and their attitudes, as well as cluster analysis.

Findings

The main findings of the research are (1) consumers in Montenegro are quite responsible for the use of food because they throw away a small part, both in quantity and value; (2) Montenegrin households still practice a traditional way of life with frequent preparation and consumption of food at home and use of leftovers; (3) consumers have confusing perceptions regarding date labels of industrially processed foods; (4) during the COVID-19 pandemic, 17.3% of consumers increased and 11.8% decreased the frequency of food purchases, while 20.7% increased and 5.1% decreased food waste.

Originality/value

The work is highly original and, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no other article that analysed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on food wastage and food-related behaviours during the outbreak of the pandemic in Montenegro (May–June 2020). Therefore, the work fills a gap in research and knowledge and sets a baseline for future studies.

Keywords

Citation

Vasko, Z., Berjan, S., El Bilali, H., Allahyari, M.S., Despotovic, A., Vukojević, D. and Radosavac, A. (2023), "Household food wastage in Montenegro: exploring consumer food behaviour and attitude under COVID-19 pandemic circumstances", British Food Journal, Vol. 125 No. 4, pp. 1516-1535. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-01-2022-0019

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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