Factors influencing consumers' food waste reduction behaviour at university canteens
2023 (English)In: Food Quality and Preference, ISSN 0950-3293, E-ISSN 1873-6343, Vol. 111, article id 104991Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
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.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2023. Vol. 111, article id 104991
Keywords [en]
Attitude, Consumer behaviour, Environmental concern, Food choice motives, Food waste reduction, Self-efficacy, Social influence, Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors
National Category
Food Science
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-214776DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2023.104991ISI: 001079820800001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85171447728OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-214776DiVA, id: diva2:1801517
Projects
FOODRUS
Funder
EU, Horizon 2020, 1010006172023-10-022023-10-022025-04-24Bibliographically approved