‘Not in My Bin’: Consumer’s Understanding and Concern of Food Waste Effects and Mitigating Factors

Matteo Vittuari, Luca Falasconi, Matteo Masotti, Simone Piras, Andrea Segrè and Marco Setti
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Matteo Vittuari: Department of Agricultural and Food Science, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Luca Falasconi: Department of Agricultural and Food Science, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Matteo Masotti: Department of Agricultural and Food Science, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Simone Piras: The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, Scotland, UK
Andrea Segrè: Department of Agricultural and Food Science, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Marco Setti: Department of Agricultural and Food Science, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 14, 1-23

Abstract: About one third of all food produced for human consumption is wasted. Along with a lively debate on food loss and waste definition and quantification, growing attention is dedicated to the faceted dimensions of consumers’ food waste. Drivers, effects, and mitigating factors have been mainly studied in isolation, with limited attention paid to their interrelationships. This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the underlying relationship between the causes of food waste and consumers’ perception of their role and of their concern on food waste effects and mitigating factors. The article draws on a survey submitted to 938 respondents while shopping at a supermarket in Italy in 2015. Data were processed by principal components to identify latent dimensions of consumer behavior, and a cluster analysis was performed to identify homogenous groups of consumers. Results emphasize the complexity of the relationship between consumers and food resources. They suggest that while consumers are aware about food waste as a global issue, they often fail to identify the individual contribution they might provide for its prevention and reduction. The article also detects three groups of consumers with different approaches to food waste management and a specific perception of the food waste phenomenon.

Keywords: domestic food waste drivers; domestic food waste perception; consumers’ preferences; consumer behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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