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Household Food Waste Awareness in Relation to Motivations

Author

Listed:
  • Claudia Giordano

    (Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy)

  • Gianluca Di Fiore

    (Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
    Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Metodologie per l’Analisi Ambientale (CNR-IMAA), 85050 Tito Scalo, Italy)

  • Fabrizio Alboni

    (Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy)

  • Elisa Carloni

    (Dipartimento di Economia, Società e Politica, Università degli Studi di Urbino, 61029 Urbino, Italy)

  • Sergio Rivaroli

    (Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy)

  • Luca Falasconi

    (Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy)

Abstract

The current study investigates which motivations to reduce food waste influence respondents’ likelihood to accurately self-assess food waste quantities. Some studies suggest that motivations to prevent household food waste influence respondents’ behaviors, but others highlight that routine and daily life often represent an obstacle to acting consistently. To this end, this study observed if a certain set of motivations actually influences the perceived quantity of food waste produced; in other words, if the motivation to reduce food waste is a driver of coherent behavior and awareness. The results were drawn from weekly food diaries and then compared with online questionnaires run on a sample of 388 households. A random forest has been performed to identify the relevant variables, able to predict the food waste self-assessment. The results show that no specific motivation is related to a better awareness of food waste quantities, nor to the actual waste average.

Suggested Citation

  • Claudia Giordano & Gianluca Di Fiore & Fabrizio Alboni & Elisa Carloni & Sergio Rivaroli & Luca Falasconi, 2023. "Household Food Waste Awareness in Relation to Motivations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-14, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:15:p:11582-:d:1203511
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Thyberg, Krista L. & Tonjes, David J., 2016. "Drivers of food waste and their implications for sustainable policy development," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 110-123.
    2. Ronja Herzberg & Thomas G. Schmidt & Felicitas Schneider, 2020. "Characteristics and Determinants of Domestic Food Waste: A Representative Diary Study across Germany," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-17, June.
    3. Claudia Giordano & Fabrizio Alboni & Luca Falasconi, 2019. "Quantities, Determinants, and Awareness of Households’ Food Waste in Italy: A Comparison between Diary and Questionnaires Quantities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-15, June.
    4. Tammara Soma & Belinda Li & Virginia Maclaren, 2020. "Food Waste Reduction: A Test of Three Consumer Awareness Interventions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-19, January.
    5. Piras, Simone & Pancotto, Francesca & Righi, Simone & Vittuari, Matteo & Setti, Marco, 2021. "Community social capital and status: The social dilemma of food waste," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    6. Reynolds, Christian & Goucher, Liam & Quested, Tom & Bromley, Sarah & Gillick, Sam & Wells, Victoria K. & Evans, David & Koh, Lenny & Carlsson Kanyama, Annika & Katzeff, Cecilia & Svenfelt, Åsa & Jack, 2019. "Review: Consumption-stage food waste reduction interventions – What works and how to design better interventions," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 7-27.
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