Consumers’ perceptions and behavior toward food waste across countries

Abstract

Food waste has become a global issue that has received increased attention. Food waste at the household level is a major source of food loss in developed countries. While culture is an important factor shaping people’s behavior, comparison of food waste behaviors across countries and regions are still limited. This study uses primary data covering the US, Canada, the UK, and France to understand and compare consumers’ food waste behaviors. While we found some common drivers for food waste behavior appliable to all countries, such as age, eating away from home, and using expiration dates, we confirmed that consumers behave significantly different across countries. For example, personal factors such as employment status, household size, and environmental concerns are only found significant in certain countries. Similarly, while convenience-driven consumers tend to waste more across countries, only European consumers who are price and advertising conscious tend to increase their food waste frequency. Moreover, many well-known food waste prevention actions, such as making a shopping list, preserving and freezing food, and being willing to consume leftovers, only appear to work in certain countries.