Predicting household food waste behavior: Bringing food literacy and purchasing power into the theory of planned behavior

Abstract

In today's world, food waste has become a growing concern, mainly due to the behavior of consumers or actors, which poses a serious dilemma for a sustainable food supply. Prior research on food waste management has shed light on a few predictors of food waste behavior (FWB), mainly with a socio-cognitive lens. Thus, this empirical research seeks to explore household food waste determinants in Tehran city, Iran, from a more comprehensive perspective. To this end, food expenditure, purchasing power, food literacy, technical opportunities, awareness of consequences, and economic initiatives are integrated into the theory of planned behavior. Totally, 349 Iranian women, responsible for food preparation from purchasing to disposal in the family, were surveyed. The model developed in this research was tested employing partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Our study reveals that being aware of the moral consequences (AMCs) is the most influential factor in predicting FWB. The findings show that, except for subjective norms, other main constructs of TPB, namely perceived behavioral control and attitude, considerably affect the behavioral intention to reduce food waste. Our study confirms that households with higher purchasing power are more likely to avoid food waste than those who spend more on food. Our findings suggest that food literacy and technical opportunities play a positive role in reducing food waste. Finally, households that receive economic initiatives are more likely to discard food.