Factors influencing consumers' food waste reduction behaviour at university canteens

Sujita Pandey, Mausam Budhathoki, Federico Jose Armando Perez-Cueto, Marianne Thomsen*

*Corresponding author af dette arbejde

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningpeer review

10 Citationer (Scopus)
36 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Understanding consumers' food waste behaviour has become increasingly crucial, given its adverse impacts on sustainability. Therefore, this study segmented consumers based on their food choice motives and investigated key factors influencing food waste reduction behaviour in university canteens employing attitude, social influence, and self-efficacy (ASE) framework extended with environmental concern, situational, and sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. An online survey was conducted in Denmark among university canteen users (n = 438). Hierarchical cluster analysis identified four segments, (1) Familiarity sensitive consumers – 34.9 % of participants, (2) Unconcerned consumers – 19.9 %, (3) Food for health and mood consumers – 19.2 %, and (4) Unfamiliar consumers – 26 %. Partial least squares structural equation modelling analysis shows that attitude, self-efficacy, and environmental concern significantly influenced behavioural intention, eventually influencing food waste reduction behaviour. Social influence and situational factors did not influence behavioural intention. Sensory appeal, price, health–mood, and familiarity significantly influenced behavioural attitude, whereas familiarity and weight control significantly influenced behaviour. Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors indirectly influence behavioural intention by their effects on attitudes, self-efficacy, and environmental concerns. Education, income, dietary patterns, and body mass index directly impacted food waste reduction behaviour. We suggest that improving consumers' attitudes and environmental concern while enhancing their self-efficacy might positively influence food waste reduction behaviour. Besides psychosocial factors, intervention should also consider focusing on consumers' food choice motives and sociodemographic and lifestyle factors to effectively influence food waste reduction behaviour in university canteen or similar settings.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummer104991
TidsskriftFood Quality and Preference
Vol/bind111
Antal sider13
ISSN0950-3293
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2023

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
This survey is performed in the scope of the FOODRUS project that has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No.101000617.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023

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