Investigating the Behaviour and Practices of Household Food Waste Disposal of Consumers in the KwaDukuza Municipality, South Africa

Abstract

Food waste poses a threat to both food security as well as the long-term sustainability of a country’s food system. In South Africa, the expense of post-consumer food waste (mostly from households) is estimated at roughly US$2.7 billion annually, or 0.7% of South Africa's annual GDP. It is unfortunate that so much food is wasted in a country where 26% of people regularly experience hunger and another 28.3% are at risk of becoming hungry at a household level. This study aimed to investigate household food waste practices and behaviours in the KwaDukuza community using a consumer survey. The survey was conducted on 190 households which were randomly selected in KwaDukuza municipality and administered with the structured questionnaire. The study's findings showed that 75% of the households reported doing weekly food shopping, and 87.4 % said they shopped primarily at supermarkets. Bread accounted for the largest share of food waste (28.9%), followed by vegetables and salads (24.7%), and in general, consumers experienced difficulty in making sense of expiry dates. However, many households (67.9%) acknowledged feeling guilty about food waste, and many more (34.2%) said they would waste less if they were informed about the adverse effects of food waste on the environment and economy. The comprehensive information gathered from the food waste survey would contribute to a better understanding of consumers' behaviour and practices regarding the disposal of household food waste, allowing for the development of appropriate food literacy tools to reduce household food waste.