Intention versus behaviour: integration of theories to help curb food waste among young Spanish consumers
ISSN: 0007-070X
Article publication date: 25 April 2022
Issue publication date: 16 January 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to find the most relevant variables for understanding the gap between intention and behaviour in relation to food waste reduction among young consumers, providing a theoretical framework that reveals what theories can explain this gap.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative analysis based on two focus groups with participants aged 18–35 was developed to examine young consumers' intention–behaviour gap.
Findings
The results suggest that a combination of variables from different theories (the theory of planned behaviour, social practice theory and value-belief-norm theory) can better explain the gap, and that other variables such as emotions, price consciousness and situational factors should also be taken into consideration. The authors also find that although some situational variables tend to reduce the gap, some specific situations do the opposite.
Originality/value
The results offer a conceptual model that combines variables from diverse theoretical streams with the aim of understanding food waste among young consumers holistically, and identify new variables that had not been considered by previous research.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to express their gratitude for financial support received from the prize awarded by the DGA+UZ on responsible consumption (2018); the Grant PID2020-114874GB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033; the funding received from the Government of Aragón and the European Social Fund (GENERES Group S-54_20R) and the Spanish MINECO PID2020-118425RBI00. Finally, this work is part of the Institute for Research on Employment, Digital Society and Sustainability (IEDIS).
Citation
Fraj-Andrés, E., Herrando, C., Lucia-Palacios, L. and Pérez-López, R. (2023), "Intention versus behaviour: integration of theories to help curb food waste among young Spanish consumers", British Food Journal, Vol. 125 No. 2, pp. 570-586. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-09-2021-1042
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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