Preventing Household Food Waste in Italy: A Segmentation of the Population and Suggestions for Action

Azzurra Annunziata, Francisco Luis Muca and Angela Mariani
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Azzurra Annunziata: Department of Economic and Legal Studies, University of Naples Parthenope, 80133 Naples, Italy
Francisco Luis Muca: Department of Economic and Legal Studies, University of Naples Parthenope, 80133 Naples, Italy
Angela Mariani: Department of Economic and Legal Studies, University of Naples Parthenope, 80133 Naples, Italy

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: Household food waste represents one of the main challenges threatening the sustainability of modern food systems globally. As is widely recognised, a deeper understanding of wasteful behaviour profiles is the starting point of designing intervention strategies. The overall objective of this research is to explore the role of psychological factors that influence household wasteful food behaviour in Italy and to profile consumers with heterogeneous personal attitudes towards wasting food. Starting with data collected through a web-based survey realized on a sample of 530 individuals responsible for household shopping, a principal component analysis and a two-step cluster analysis revealed three different segments of consumers with heterogeneous wasteful behaviours. The clusters differ in relation to psychological factors, such as moral attitudes and concerns about and intentions to reduce food waste. The study findings provide insights for implementing prevention, reduction, and recovery strategies tailored to these different consumer profiles.

Keywords: household food waste; psychological factors; segmentation; Italy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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