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Responsible consumption: addressing individual food waste behavior

Wei-Zhi Ang (Graduate School of Business, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia)
Suresh Narayanan (School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia)
Meenchee Hong (Graduate School of Business, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia)

British Food Journal

ISSN: 0007-070X

Article publication date: 18 August 2021

Issue publication date: 30 September 2021

1522

Abstract

Purpose

Food wastage is a major contributor to pervasive world hunger. Cutting global food waste in half by 2030 is one of the United Nation's top priorities. Hence, this paper aims to provide useful insights on how individual behavior might be influenced to help reduce food wastage and hunger by identifying individual food waste determinants.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 297 useable responses were obtained from a survey using a food diary method. A logit model was employed to estimate the relationship between leftovers and its determinants (preparedness to take own action, price conscious, food review, religiosity, health conscious, cost, marital status and gender).

Findings

Results show that preparedness to be responsible for one's actions, depending on food reviews and being waste conscious had a significant positive relationship with food waste reducing behavior, along with being male and being married.

Research limitations/implications

The study suggests that there is scope for policy initiatives to reduce the individual utility from discarding food and increase the individual utility from food saving activities. Penalizing individual or household food wastage through a tax will directly raise the cost of wastage and reduce the net utility from discarding food. Reducing food waste could help reduce global hunger.

Originality/value

Rationally, no one will have any intention to waste when buying food. Instead, in the context of deciding whether or not to leave leftover food, an individual is posited to weigh the potential utility from saving food or throwing it away. Thus, this study examines food waste behavior by utilizing economic tools, which is rare in the food waste literature.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors’ deepest gratitude goes to Dr Chu Ei Yet, Professors Habil Jessica Aschemann-Witzel, Graham-Rowe, Kate Parizeau, Sally Russell, Violeta Stancu, Vivianne H M Visschers and Ms Aisha Egolf for their guidance and for sharing their questionnaires. The authors also wish to record their heartfelt appreciation to the participants of this study who took time to complete their food diary.

Citation

Ang, W.-Z., Narayanan, S. and Hong, M. (2021), "Responsible consumption: addressing individual food waste behavior", British Food Journal, Vol. 123 No. 9, pp. 3245-3263. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-03-2021-0328

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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