The Squander Sequence: Understanding Food Waste at Each Stage of the Consumer Decision-Making Process

Abstract

Food waste presents a complex global problem that involves multiple actors and institutions within the aggregate food marketing system. Food waste occurs across food production and distribution, as well as at the hands of the consumer. In this research, the authors focus on waste that occurs across what is termed the “squander sequence,” which describes waste that occurs from consumer behaviors at the preacquisition, acquisition, consumption, and disposition stages. The authors set forth a behavioral theory–based agenda to explain food waste in the squander sequence with the ultimate goals of encouraging future research to uncover the psychological underpinnings of consumer-level food waste and of deriving transformative consumer solutions to this substantive issue.

Retail store operations and food waste

“…When comparing research across the supply chain stages, we observe a strong emphasis on the household level and on consumer decision making (Bekin et al, 2006;Parfitt et al, 2010;Koivupuro et al, 2012;Block et al, 2016;Aschemann-Witzel et al, 2017;Aschemann-Witzel, 2018). This literature critically discusses the responsibility of the food distributors and their marketing practices in stores.…”

Avoidable food losses and associated production-phase greenhouse gas emissions arising from application of cosmetic standards to fresh fruit and vegetables in Europe and the UK

“…avoiding throwing away 'good money' by binning uneaten produce -is a powerful modifier of behaviour (Moseley and Stoker, 2013). Unintentional or unconscious decisions may result in actions by consumer waste activity not otherwise aligned with their attitudes, referred to as the 'squander sequence' by Block et al (2016). Wasteful behaviour or attitudes may not be universally held, even within a given culture.…”

Selected aspects of sustainable tourism and their application in the operation of accommodation and catering facilities in the Moravian-Silesian Region

“…Due to the considerable extent of the issue, we focus on waste management in accommodation and restaurants, especially in connection with food waste, which is a global problem, including costly disposal [9]. While more experts are beginning to address this issue, there is no standardized method for quantifying food waste [10].…”