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Policy Recommendations for Reducing Food Waste: An Analysis Based on a Survey of Urban and Rural Household Food Waste in Harbin, China

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  • Chang Liu

    (School of Economics and Management, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
    Sustainable Consumption and Production Area, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, 2108-11 Kamiyamaguchi, Hayama 240-0115, Japan)

  • Jie Shang

    (School of Economics and Management, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China)

  • Chen Liu

    (Sustainable Consumption and Production Area, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, 2108-11 Kamiyamaguchi, Hayama 240-0115, Japan)

  • Hui Wang

    (School of Economics and Management, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
    School of Management, Bohai College of Hebei Agricultural University, Cangzhou 061108, China)

  • Shuya Wang

    (School of Economics and Management, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China)

Abstract

Food waste has become a pressing global issue in recent years. In China, the issue of food waste has become increasingly severe. As a provincial capital city, Harbin is also a major agricultural city in China with distinct urban and rural features. This paper uses Harbin as a case study to evaluate different strategies for preventing and reducing food waste based on these urban–rural differences. This research is based on official data on household food waste in urban and rural areas of Harbin, as well as data collected from 333 telephone surveys through stratified random sampling. Independent t -tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the survey data, followed by a review of existing food waste policies and strategies. Our findings show that Harbin has had a positive response in adhering to national anti-food waste policies. However, its implementation has not been effective. There is a continuous increase in food waste generation. Moreover, gender, level of education, and household annual income have a significant impact on residents’ food waste habits and there are significant differences between urban and rural areas in terms of “eating out” and “ordering food ingredients”. The average daily amount of food waste generated by urban households is 3216.31 g, which is 2.4 times that of rural households. There are also differences in the causes of food waste between urban and rural residents due to different diets and eating habits. As a result, feasible and effective policy recommendations have been proposed to reduce food waste in response to these urban–rural differences.

Suggested Citation

  • Chang Liu & Jie Shang & Chen Liu & Hui Wang & Shuya Wang, 2023. "Policy Recommendations for Reducing Food Waste: An Analysis Based on a Survey of Urban and Rural Household Food Waste in Harbin, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-31, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:14:p:11122-:d:1195769
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    Cited by:

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    2. Delly Maulana & Catur Nugroho & Roro Retno Wulan & Fikri Habibi, 2025. "Developing Sustainable Waste Management in Urban Areas: Case Study of Municipal Government Policy Strategies in Banten Indonesia," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(3), pages 21582440251, September.
    3. Minh Hai Ngo & Thanh Mai Ha & Bárbara Franco Lucas & Anh Duc Nguyen & Thi Lam Bui & Nhu Thinh Le & Mathilde Delley & Franziska Götze & Evelyn Markoni & Bao Duong Pham & Thomas A. Brunner, 2025. "Effects of food sources on food waste behaviour: evidence from urban regions of Vietnam," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 13(1), pages 1-21, December.
    4. Chang Liu & Chen Liu & Yasuhiko Hotta & Dwayne Appleby, 2024. "Comparative Analysis of Face Mask Usage and Environmental Impact in Asian Cities during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-19, August.

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