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Analysis of the Behaviors of Polish Consumers in Relation to Food Waste

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  • Beata Bilska

    (Department of Food Gastronomy and Food Hygiene, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159C St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland)

  • Marzena Tomaszewska

    (Department of Food Gastronomy and Food Hygiene, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159C St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland)

  • Danuta Kołożyn-Krajewska

    (Department of Food Gastronomy and Food Hygiene, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159C St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland)

Abstract

Food waste occurs at all stages of the food chain, but it is households in developed countries that have the largest share in the production of food waste. In order to develop and implement effective programs to combat consumers throwing away food, the factors that determine food waste in a household must first be known. The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of food waste by Polish consumers and identify the effect of demographics on the respondents’ behavior related to food management. The results show that factors such as age, gender, place of residence, and education influence consumer behavior in terms of food management at home. It was found that young people and those with university-level education were more likely to buy unplanned products and waste food. The causes of the risk of wasting food were identified and their frequency determined. The most common causes for the risk of food waste include food being spoiled, missing the expiry date, and failure to arrange food in cabinets according to the expiry date. Bread was the most frequently wasted product, especially by young respondents.

Suggested Citation

  • Beata Bilska & Marzena Tomaszewska & Danuta Kołożyn-Krajewska, 2019. "Analysis of the Behaviors of Polish Consumers in Relation to Food Waste," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-16, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2019:i:1:p:304-:d:303457
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Agnieszka Dudziak & Monika Stoma & Arkadiusz J. Derkacz, 2022. "Circular Economy in the Context of Food Losses and Waste," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-21, August.
    2. Magdalena Ankiel & Urszula Samotyja, 2020. "The Role of Labels and Perceived Health Risk in Avoidable Food Wasting," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-19, October.

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