Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Household Food Waste Behavior in Japan

Kun Qian, Firouzeh Javadi and Michikazu Hiramatsu
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Kun Qian: Institute of Decision Science for a Sustainable Society, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 8190395, Japan
Firouzeh Javadi: Institute of Decision Science for a Sustainable Society, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 8190395, Japan
Michikazu Hiramatsu: Institute of Decision Science for a Sustainable Society, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 8190395, Japan

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 23, 1-15

Abstract: The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic had various influences on people’s ordinary lives, including their thoughts and behaviors related to food consumption. Food waste has been cited as a serious issue with environmental, social, and economic consequences. In this study, we investigated how the COVID-19 pandemic altered the social consciousness and behavior related to food waste in Japan. We conducted a nationwide online-based survey and collected a cross-sectional dataset from 1959 adult respondents. The results showed that people in regions highly impacted by the pandemic reported a clearer understanding of the situation of their household food waste, more careful food preparation and purchasing, and were more strongly influenced to change their behaviors due to COVID-19. Further analyses revealed that thoughts and behaviors related to food waste significantly differed by sociodemographic characteristics, such as gender, household size, and employment status. This study also implied that the COVID-19 pandemic encouraged some improvements in peoples’ behaviors and thoughts with regard to food, such as paying attention to food waste, making efforts to reduce food waste, and attempting cooking by themselves at home.

Keywords: food waste; food management; food consumption; coronavirus; SARS-CoV-2; environmental impact (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 (17)

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