Leveraging Household Food Waste Consumer Behaviour to Optimise Logistics

Sotiris Ntai, Maria Kontopanou and Foivos Anastasiadis ()
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Sotiris Ntai: Department of Agribusiness and Supply Chain Management, Agricultural University of Athens, 32200 Thiva, Greece
Maria Kontopanou: Department of Agribusiness and Supply Chain Management, Agricultural University of Athens, 32200 Thiva, Greece
Foivos Anastasiadis: Department of Agribusiness and Supply Chain Management, Agricultural University of Athens, 32200 Thiva, Greece

Logistics, 2025, vol. 9, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: Background: This study explores how consumer behaviour influences household food waste and its ripple effects on the efficiency of the agri-food supply chain. Methods : Using survey data, we applied regression analysis to analyse the links between shopping habits, household demographics, waste reduction goals, and disposal practices. Results : Results show that purchasing driven by promotions significantly boosts household waste, while waste reduction goals strongly reduce disposal behaviours. These results illustrate how irregular consumer purchasing patterns create upstream demand fluctuations, making inventory management and production planning more complex. The findings highlight opportunities for logistics improvements, such as demand-based inventory systems, optimised purchasing routines, adjusted promotional strategies, and consumer-involved forecasting models to cut waste and promote resource sustainability. Conclusions : This research connects consumer behaviour with supply chain management, offering practical insights for building more sustainable and efficient food supply chains through targeted logistics actions.

Keywords: supply chain; sustainability; agri-food systems; inventory management; waste prevention strategies; sustainable consumption (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L8 L80 L81 L86 L87 L9 L90 L91 L92 L93 L98 L99 M1 M10 M11 M16 M19 R4 R40 R41 R49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlogis:v:9:y:2025:i:3:p:126-:d:1740510

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