Factors Affecting the Waste of Selected Agricultural Products with an Emphasis on the Marketing Mix

Unusual levels of agricultural product waste are becoming one of the issues and dangers that human societies face in their efforts to achieve food security. Therefore, reducing agricultural product waste is one of the main strategies for the optimal use of production resources and support food security. In this study, a multilevel Bayesian technique was used to examine the characteristics of customers and the effects of marketing mix on the waste of selected agricultural products—a subgroup of fruits and vegetables in Mashhad, Iran. Based on this, 368 consumers (at the first level), 53 fruit and vegetable markets (at the second level), and 3 main supply centers of fruit and vegetables in the city (at the third level) were evaluated using the Bayesian multilevel model. The results showed that approximately 56% of food waste variance was caused by differences between consumers, 29% is due to the differences between fruit and vegetable markets, and almost 14% is due to the differences between the main supply centers of Mashhad. Also, the effects of the marketing mix showed that the place of distribution of agricultural products always has an increasing effect on the waste of agricultural products. Moreover, increasing the price of agricultural products reduces waste by consumers and keeps the consumer away from unnecessary purchases. The product factor also has an increasing effect on the waste of agricultural products, and consumers are encouraged to consume more and create more waste. A good way to reduce agricultural product waste is to use solutions that slow down the spoilage process and extend the shelf life of fruit and vegetables. Using an appropriate marketing mix and considering the characteristics of consumers can also control the waste of agricultural products.