Managing Food Leftovers in Polish Households in Terms of the Food Waste Hierarchy

Food leftovers are a key component of household food waste. A nationwide survey of 1115 Polish adults conducted in 2019 examined how such leftovers are managed, considering socio-demographic and economic factors. It also explored the impact of selected food management practices on the throwing away of unconsumed meal leftovers. The data obtained indicated that one-quarter of the respondents always and usually use unconsumed meals to prepare other dishes. The following positions were taken by: giving to animals (23.68%), disposal in a waste container (15.97%), freezing (15.78%) and ex aequo giving to family or friends and composting (8.07%). Place of residence strongly influenced behaviours. Rural residents were much more likely than city dwellers to feed animals unused ready meals and compost them. On the other hand, city dwellers and young consumers more often stated that they would dispose of such products in a waste container. The constructed regression model indicated that only the frequency of purchasing ready-made chilled and frozen meals and the importance of storage conditions, in the respondents’ opinion, significantly impacted throwing away leftovers in a waste container. In summary, Polish respondents do not follow the food waste hierarchy. For this reason, it is important to develop and implement various educational programmes and campaigns.