A Systematic Review of Pre-Post Studies Testing Behaviour Change Interventions to Reduce Consumer Food Waste in the Household

Danica Jobson (), Gamithri Gayana Karunasena, Nazia Nabi, David Pearson and Emily Dunstan
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Danica Jobson: School of Business and Law, CQ University, 400 Kent Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
Gamithri Gayana Karunasena: School of Business and Law, CQ University, 400 Kent Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
Nazia Nabi: School of Business and Law, CQ University, 400 Kent Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
David Pearson: School of Business and Law, CQ University, 400 Kent Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
Emily Dunstan: Sustainability Victoria, Level 12, 321 Exhibition St, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 5, 1-32

Abstract: Since the United Nations announced their Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 to halve per capita food waste by 2030, prevention has become an international focus. Consumers are responsible for a significant portion of food waste, and much of this waste is avoidable by improving food management routines and planning in the household. There is a growing body of research focused on developing and evaluating domestic behaviour change interventions which can improve these behaviours. However, evidence of intervention efficacy on a household level is inconsistent, and best-practice approaches for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners have not been identified. Furthermore, the magnitude of this problem across environmental, social, and economical aspects of life necessitates meaningful long-term change. Many reviews have synthesised household food waste intervention studies, yet there is a gap exploring whether new habits can or will stick. We identify 16 peer-reviewed articles applying behaviour change interventions in the household, with a pre–post design to measure food waste both before and after implementation. The review reveals a paucity of studies that evaluate intervention efficacy relative to their baseline, as well as a significant longitudinal evidence gap. Our recommendation for further research is for the robust replication of effective short-term interventions to be tested longitudinally. Overall, this review outlines potential areas for prioritisation to enable large-scale sustained household behaviour changes in the fight against food waste.

Keywords: food waste; behaviour change; systematic review; consumer; household; longitudinal; pre-post (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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