Reduction in household food waste through an information strategy: Findings from consumers in Australia

Abstract

Food waste is an issue of global concern. Particularly troublesome is the amount of waste at the consumer level, and a need exists for interventions that draw on a deeper understanding of the underlying factors leading to food waste. The research aims were to (1) study the potential of an information-based strategy to reduce household food waste, (2) explore the impact of information on attitudes towards food waste, and (3) explore the reasons underlying perceived changes in household food waste. A controlled randomized trial was conducted, and participants were assigned to one of two groups (Informed, Control) with data collection at two time points (Baseline, Time 2). At both time points, all participants completed a standardized quantitative survey on food disposal in the past 7 days. At baseline, after the food disposal survey was completed, participants in the informed group read a text about food waste and completed a highlighting task. The key result was a significant reduction in household food waste approximately fifteen days after the Baseline, which was found for both experimental groups, albeit slightly larger in the Informed group. This was found despite the Control group having the same attitudes, on average, to engaging in food waste reduction behaviors. To successfully reduce food waste, participants bought less food, used leftover and suboptimal foods, reduced portion size, checked stored foods to use them before expiration, and planned meals. The main reason for not reducing food waste was related to the belief that household food waste was minimal or inexistent. Overall, the research further stresses the potential of information strategies to achieve food waste reductions at the household level and discusses cognitive dissonance as a possible underlying mechanism.