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Consumer Opinions on the Causes of Food Waste — Demographic and Economic Conditions

Author

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  • Ankiel Magdalena

    (Poznań University of Economics and Business, Institute of Marketing, Department of Product Marketing al. Niepodległości 10, 61-875 Poznań, Poland)

  • Samotyja Urszula

    (Poznań University of Economics and Business, Institute of Quality Science, Department of Food Quality and Safety al. Niepodległości 10, 61-875 Poznań, Poland)

Abstract

Reducing the quantities of food lost or wasted will be an emerging challenge in coming years. The sector contributing the most to food waste is households. The aim of this study is to evaluate consumer behavior on the food market in the context of wastage identification and assessment of consumer opinions in Poland regarding the causes of the problem of food waste in households. A quantitative study was carried out using individual direct questionnaire interviews (N = 1,145). Results showed that Polish consumer opinions regarding reasons for wasting food vary according to demographic and economic conditions. The least educated consumers and families with several children were found to be guided by economic premises in their purchases more often than other groups and plan their purchases more rationally. The causes of food wastage related to irrational behavior were more often named by consumers with higher standards of living and by the younger generation.

Suggested Citation

  • Ankiel Magdalena & Samotyja Urszula, 2021. "Consumer Opinions on the Causes of Food Waste — Demographic and Economic Conditions," Marketing of Scientific and Research Organizations, Sciendo, vol. 42(4), pages 75-96, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:vrs:mosaro:v:42:y:2021:i:4:p:75-96:n:5
    DOI: 10.2478/minib-2021-0022
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. 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.
    2. Secondi, Luca & Principato, Ludovica & Laureti, Tiziana, 2015. "Household food waste behaviour in EU-27 countries: A multilevel analysis," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 25-40.
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    Cited by:

    1. Łaba, Sylwia & Olech, Igor & Łaba, Robert, 2024. "A Conceptual Framework for the Long-Term Storage of Unused Food for the Purpose of Creating Food Reserves and Preventing Food Waste in Poland," Roczniki (Annals), Polish Association of Agricultural Economists and Agribusiness - Stowarzyszenie Ekonomistow Rolnictwa e Agrobiznesu (SERiA), vol. 2024(2).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • M31 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Marketing and Advertising - - - Marketing
    • D19 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Other

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