Consumers in a Sustainable Food Supply Chain (COSUS): Understanding Consumer Behavior to Encourage Food Waste Reduction

Abstract

Consumers are directly and indirectly responsible for a significant fraction of food waste which, for a large part, could be avoided if they were willing to accept food that is suboptimal, i.e., food that deviates in sensory characteristics (odd shape, discoloration), or that has a best-before date which is approaching or has passed, but that is still perfectly fine to eat. The choice to accept or discard suboptimal food is taken either before or after purchase (hence, in the retail store or in the household). The aim of the European research project COSUS (Consumers in a sustainable food supply chain) was to increase consumer acceptance of suboptimal food, before and after purchase, by implementing targeted strategies that are based on consumer insights, and that are feasible for and acceptable by the food sector. To reach this aim, different methodological approaches were applied to analyze this issue, to experiment with different aspects, and to test the resulting interventions. Each of these approaches was undertaken by competent consortium partners from Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden and The Netherlands. The project finally provides validated strategies to promote the distribution and consumption of suboptimal foods, thereby improving resource efficiency in the food chain and contributing to a more sustainable food supply.

Packaging-Related Food Losses and Waste: An Overview of Drivers and Issues

“…Interestingly, 64% of consumers in the EU misinterpret the meaning of the best before date [41]. While consumers often confuse best before and use by dates, they state that they need more information about the shelf life of food once a package has been opened [42].…”

Sustainable Fruit Consumption: The Influence of Color, Shape and Damage on Consumer Sensory Perception and Liking of Different Apples

“…It has been found that 15% of all fresh and consumer-friendly food is discarded before it becomes available for sale in supermarkets/stores [5], and producers of fruits and vegetables discard up to 30% because of aesthetic imperfections, meaning that a lot of food is wasted before entering the supermarkets [6]. As an example, of the approximately 30,000 tons of apples produced in Sweden, 7-10% is wasted each year; this does not include all the fruit that is wasted in peoples' gardens.…”

The Role of Cultural Factors in Sustainable Food Consumption—An Investigation of the Consumption Habits among International Students in Hungary

“…Sustainable eating is therefore essential not only in terms of food and nutrient safety [20,21], but also on the social level [22,23]. That is why numerous recommendations and studies advise to policy makers in food security and sustainability regulation to integrate direct, indirect or voluntary tools into the social framework for sustainable food consumption [20,[24][25][26][27][28][29][30].…”

“…People's food habits are typically characterized by health, supply, consumer culture, family habits passed on from the previous generation, society, the environment and policy frameworks [1,4,28]. Consumer choice of food at present can be determined by whether the product is sustainable or organic.…”