Food Waste Behaviour at the Consumer Level: Pilot Study on Czech Private Households

Abstract

The issue of food waste is a problem that affects the whole society. Food is wasted throughout the food chain. Households are great contributors to the problem. A detailed analysis of municipal waste from the production of 900 Czech households was performed. These datasets allowed for comprehensive insides. The analyses of mixed municipal waste were performed every quarter of the year (summer 2019–spring 2020). The method of municipal waste analysis was supplemented by questionnaire survey among households and 10 in-depth interviews aimed at identifying the main causes of waste. One of the periods in which food waste was measured was affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic. This finding has also been confirmed by findings from other countries. The climatic crisis multiplied by the impacts of COVID-19 has highlighted the need to actively address the issue of food waste.

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on household food waste behaviour: A systematic review

“…According to Everitt et al (2021) , self-reporting diaries are also subject to social desirability bias. Kubíčková et al (2021) and Everitt et al (2021) were the only studies that collected and measured food waste. Although measuring food waste through direct collection is costly and time-consuming, the approach has high accuracy, as it does not rely on self-reported amounts ( Withanage et al, 2021 ).…”

“… Better estimation of how much to cook. Babbitt et al (2021) ; Bender et al (2021) ; Jribi et al (2020) ; Kubíčková et al (2021) ; Laila et al (2021) ; Pires et al (2021) ; Qian et al (2020) ; Rodgers et al (2021) ; Scacchi et al (2021) ; Scharadin et al (2021) ; Vidal-Mones et al (2021) ; Vittuari et al (2021) Cooking Skills Development More time to develop cooking skills Better cooking skill Confidence in cooking Cooking more efficiently Amicarelli et al (2021) ; Hassen et al (2020), Hassen et al (2021b) ; Bender et al (2021) ; Berjan et al (2021) ; Pires et al (2021) ; Roe et al (2021) Using leftovers Higher usage of leftovers Cooking new recipes with leftovers Serving leftovers at the family meal Feeding dogs with leftovers in cities Feeding chickens in the countryside Amicarelli and Bux (2021) ; Babbitt et al (2021) ; Hassen et al (2021a) ; Bender et al (2021) ; Filimonau et al (2021) ; Hassen et al (2021b) ; Jribi et al (2020) ; Pappalardo et al (2020) ; Pires et al (2021) ; Principato et al (2020) ; Scacchi et al (2021) Online Shopping Reduce bulk shopping Limiting panic shopping Less stockpiling Amicarelli et al (2021) ; Babbitt et al (2021) ...…”

“… More responsible purchasing by checking the refrigerator Writing shopping lists Eating whatever is available More online shopping and food delivery services. Bender et al (2021) ; Berjan et al (2021) ; Kubíčková et al (2021) ; Laila et al (2021) ; Liu et al (2021) ; Scacchi et al (2021) ; Scharadin et al (2021) ; Vidal-Mones et al (2021) ; Vittuari et al (2021) Meal Planning Meal planning reduces food waste Babbitt et al (2021) ; Laila et al (2021) ; Principato et al (2020) Food Shopping Planning Less shipping frequency triggers shopping planning Better food shopping plan Preparing shopping list Amicarelli and Bux (2021) ; Hassen et al (2021b) ; Jribi et al (2020) ; Laila et al (2021) ; Liu et al (2021) ; Pires et al (2021) ; Principato et al (2020) ; Vittuari et al (2021) Stockpiling Better in house food storage Storing more food may lead to higher waste Buying not-intended food can increase food waste. More stockpiling gives a sense of stability and predictability during uncertain times Purchasing more non-perishable food Babbitt et al (2021) ; Hassen, El Bilali, Allahyari, and Charbel (2021) ; Bender et al (2021) ; Berjan et al (2021) ; Cosgrove et al (2021) ; Hassen, El Bilali, Allahyari, and Charbel (2021) ; Laila et al (2021) ; Liu et al (2021b) ; Pappalardo et al (2020) …”

“…Cooking at home was one of the main reasons for the reduction in household food waste ( Rodgers et al, 2021 ). The number of people cooking increased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to gaining additional time to prepare meals, restrictions on going to restaurants, and income disruption ( Bender et al, 2021 ; Kubíčková et al, 2021 ; Filho et al, 2021). Many people developed their cooking skills during the COVID-19 pandemic ( Berjan et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Although preparation waste in home cooking is higher than in restaurants, plate waste is lower ( Babbitt et al, 2021 ). Developing cooking skills, cooking more efficiently, making better use of leftovers, better estimation of how much food to cook, and better awareness of expiration dates of food stocks are some potential reasons why cooking at home leads to lower food waste ( Kubíčková et al, 2021 ; Pires et al, 2021 ). Laila et al (2021) found that confidence in cooking and time spent preparing meals would negatively influence food waste.…”