Reducing food waste in Chinese university canteens: the role of information and commitment

This study investigates the effects of information and information-plus-commitment interventions on students’ food waste in university canteens, exploring the socio-psychological drivers behind their behaviors. The information interventions expose students to the environmental consequences of food waste, while the information-plus-commitment interventions encourage students to sign a pledge to reduce waste after receiving similar information. The information-only approach has a limited effect, whereas the combined intervention of information and commitment significantly reduces food waste. Heterogeneity analysis reveals important nuances in the intervention’s effectiveness. Although no significant marginal effects are found by gender or meal time, the information-plus-commitment intervention exhibits significant differences by dining patterns: compared with dining alone, students who engaged in communal dining show less food waste, suggesting the presence of spillover effect. Moreover, this study highlights the role of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control as key socio-psychological correlates of heterogeneous treatment responses. Notably, the positive interaction between attitude and information-plus-commitment intervention suggests a potential “backlash effect”. These findings underscore the importance of integrating strategies and accounting for socio-psychological factors in the design of food waste reduction interventions.