ANTECEDENTS AND BARRIERS TO SUSTAINABLE FOOD WASTE PRACTICES AMONG LOWER-MIDDLE INCOME HOUSEHOLDS IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

Given the significant amount of food waste generated by households, reducing household food waste is critical to mitigating overall food waste and providing multifaceted benefits for humans and the environment. This study attempts to identify antecedents of food waste among lower-middle-class families in the Malaysian household setting and their barriers to sustainable food waste practices. Fifteen individuals from lower-middleclass Malaysian households were selected by convenience and snowball sampling and were interviewed using semi-structured questions. Four categories of food waste antecedents were identified (over-preparing, over-buying, dietary transition, and improper storage). The findings also led to the development of four themes that defined the barriers participants faced to minimising food waste (inadequate regulations and policy, lack of time, lack of education and awareness on food wastage, and lack of appropriate facilities). The findings from this study have important sociocultural implications for future studies, and they also add to our current understanding and application of how to reduce food waste in Malaysian households. More study is needed to find ways to test new ideas and interventions that could reduce household food waste, especially in Malaysia.