Quantities, Determinants, and Awareness of Households’ Food Waste in Italy: A Comparison between Diary and Questionnaires Quantities

Giordano, Claudia; Alboni, Fabrizio; Falasconi, Luca

doi:10.3390/su11123381

Cited by 96 publications

(120 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…This result seems to be in line with a recent report produced at the national level, which found that in Italy, the incidence of households with wasteful behaviour is somewhat lower than in other EU countries [30]. In addition, the regions in southern Italy show a lower incidence of food waste than that Sustainability 2020, 12, 1495 9 of 13 in central or northern Italy [30,39]. However, it must be highlighted that previous research showed that the self-assessment of household food waste is systematically underestimated [28,30,39].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…In addition, the regions in southern Italy show a lower incidence of food waste than that Sustainability 2020, 12, 1495 9 of 13 in central or northern Italy [30,39]. However, it must be highlighted that previous research showed that the self-assessment of household food waste is systematically underestimated [28,30,39].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This leads to underestimation of their food waste behaviour due to social desirability bias, even if the aim of our research was not to assess the extent of household food waste but to explore the drivers behind food waste behaviour. However, previous research found that the use of a survey can only partly capture the complexity of food waste behaviour [39,46]. Further research might provide greater insight into how food behaviour and food waste are linked, perhaps using food diaries as recommended by Giordano et al [39].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, previous research found that the use of a survey can only partly capture the complexity of food waste behaviour [39,46]. Further research might provide greater insight into how food behaviour and food waste are linked, perhaps using food diaries as recommended by Giordano et al [39].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Household Food Waste: A Case Study in Southern Italy

et al. 2020

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To achieve the goal of reducing consumer-related food waste in developed countries, it is necessary to have an in-depth understanding of the factors shaping food waste, both in the household as well as at the point of purchase. Despite a growing number of studies on the subject, especially in recent years, the evidence on drivers of food waste and barriers to its reduction is somewhat conflicting. The current paper contributes to existing knowledge on food waste behaviour at the consumer level, providing original results from a direct survey conducted with a sample randomly selected in southern Italy to reveal consumer awareness, concerns and intentions towards food waste and to ascertain the existence of different consumer profiles with similar food waste behaviour. Since southern Italian regions have been shown to produce lower levels of food waste than regions in northern Italy, an in-depth analysis of the drivers behind food waste in this area could be considered an interesting case study. Our findings showed the existence of several consumer behaviour profiles that influenced household food waste generation. Strategies to reduce waste should take such differences into account in order to promote changes in food waste behaviour.Sustainability 2020, 12, 1495 2 of 13 the household level make it difficult for commercial actors as well as policy makers to develop effective food waste reduction campaigns [6].In order to reduce food waste in developed countries, it is necessary to gain an in-depth understanding of the factors determining food waste at the consumer level, both in the household as well as at the point of purchase. Identified social drivers connected to consumer behaviour and lifestyles are related to (a) unconscious preferences, such as preferences for certain aesthetic standards or food types, that can be difficult to modify; (b) individual behaviour that may be modifiable through information and strengthened awareness; and (c) sociodemographic factors [3,4,7].Regarding individual behaviour, consumers' routines related to shopping and consumption constitute one of the main drivers of food waste, such as food overprovisioning during shopping, overpreparation and incorrect storage [8]. Among the causes identified for overprovisioning, the literature includes bulk purchases but also marketing and sales strategies implemented by producers and retailers [7,9]. Extensive research shows that communication strategies as well as promotional offers have a considerable negative effect on individual wasteful behaviour, prompting consumers to buy more than actually needed [5,[10][11][12]. Other studies have highlighted that individual wasteful behaviour is also driven by factors related to current legislation or policy. Misinterpretation of date labels, for example, or lack of understanding and following labelling instructions for proper storage are recognised as prominent drivers [4,5]. Previous studies showed that European consumers seem to be very confused and show difficulty in interpreting the actual meanin...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Household Food Waste: A Case Study in Southern Italy

et al. 2020

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“…Acquiring a good understanding of what drives food waste will help policy makers, scholars, and practitioners to design and share good prevention practices [6,7]. However, though essential for designing prevention measures [8], evidence on why food waste occurs is still very limited [9]. Current studies present mixed and rather contrasting evidence regarding food waste determinants [1,9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Drivers behind Self-Reported and Measured Food Wastage

2019

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Understanding households’ food waste drivers is crucial for forming a coherent policy to meet the sustainable development goals. However, current studies have documented mixed evidence regarding food waste determinants. Most studies have relied on self-reports, assuming they reflect actual behaviors. This study applies a structural equation model that evaluates both self-reported and measured food wastage, and how they are affected by different households’ attributes, attitudes, and behaviors. As such, it also provides a test for the underlying logic that self-reports are a proxy for actual food waste. Results show that measured food wastage is, at best, weakly correlated with self-reports. Moreover, drivers affecting self-reported and measured food wastage are not necessarily the same. Household size affects only measured food wastage. Source separation behavior negatively affects self-reported and measured food wastage, while environmental attitudes have a negative effect only on self-reports. Meal planning, unplanned shopping, and food purchased have no impact on self-reported and measured food wastage. The relation between self-reported and actual food waste and their drivers are even less understood than we thought. The distinction between self-reports and actual waste is crucial for follow-up research on this subject as well as assessing policy measures.

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