Examining the determinants of food waste behavior in China at the consumer level

Ricardo Lima (), Aizhi Yu (), Qinghua Liu () and Jingyi Liu ()
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Ricardo Lima: Federal University of Pernambuco
Aizhi Yu: Central University of Finance and Economics
Qinghua Liu: Central University of Finance and Economics
Jingyi Liu: Central University of Finance and Economics

Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, 2024, vol. 16, issue 4, No 3, 867-881

Abstract: Abstract Food loss and waste are global problems for food security, as one-third of all food produced globally does not reach the consumer’s table. These numbers seem unreasonable when the data presented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 2021 accounts for more than 800 million undernourished people and about 2.3 billion without access to adequate food throughout the year. This study examines the determinants of food waste behavior at the consumer level in China, the most populous country in the world. The survey used data from 3,857 online questionnaires of families living in selected Chinese metropolitan areas across all provinces. The research methodology used an ordered multinomial logit model to estimate the impact of the explanatory variables on the frequency and amount of household food waste. The results showed that food waste increased with income, age, and education but at a decreasing rate. Additionally, the demographic characteristics of households, food planning, and meal preparation had a statistically significant influence on food waste. The findings of this study, therefore, provide evidence that household food waste is highly dependent on people's behavior, and its reduction may depend on public policies and educational campaigns to make families aware of the problem.

Keywords: Food waste; Food security; Consumer behavior; China; Logit model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s12571-024-01466-9

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