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Increases in Household Food Waste in Canada as a Result of COVID-19: An Exploratory Study

Author

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  • Janet Music

    (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada)

  • Sylvain Charlebois

    (Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada)

  • Louise Spiteri

    (Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada)

  • Shannon Farrell

    (Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada)

  • Alysha Griffin

    (Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada)

Abstract

The era of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a variety of individual lifestyle and behavioural changes, and could, therefore, potentially involve a shift towards more sustainable food systems. This research was conducted through an online survey of cross-sectional design. We surveyed 8272 Canadians in August of 2020. Participants answered questions about socio-demographic food waste amounts in kilograms, and food-waste-management behaviours. In this exploratory study, we assessed the relationships between socio-demographic variables, and self-reported food-waste behaviours through two-tailed significance testing. Results indicated that Canadian households self-reported an insignificant decrease in food waste during the pandemic. Respondents reported allowing food to expire, not utilizing leftovers, and not finishing meals. Understanding food-waste behaviour changes is key to designing effective mitigation strategies to reduce household food waste and to minimize the environmental consequences with which food waste is associated.

Suggested Citation

  • Janet Music & Sylvain Charlebois & Louise Spiteri & Shannon Farrell & Alysha Griffin, 2021. "Increases in Household Food Waste in Canada as a Result of COVID-19: An Exploratory Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-11, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:23:p:13218-:d:690685
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Giulia Borghesi & Piergiuseppe Morone, 2023. "A review of the effects of COVID-19 on food waste," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(1), pages 261-280, February.
    2. Li Jia & Jing Zhang & Guanghua Qiao, 2022. "Scale and Environmental Impacts of Food Loss and Waste in China—A Material Flow Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-21, December.
    3. Haley Everitt & Paul van der Werf & Jason A. Gilliland, 2023. "A Review of Household Food Waste Generation during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-18, March.
    4. Mirela Stanciu & Agatha Popescu & Iuliana Antonie & Camelia Sava & Bogdan Gabriel Nistoreanu, 2022. "Good Practices on Reducing Food Waste Throughout the Food Supply Chain," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 24(60), pages 566-566, April.

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