Food waste handling behaviour and their predictors

Abstract: Around one-third of the total food provided for human consumption goes to waste every year. Previous literature shows that throughout the entire production-consumption chain, the final household stage generates the largest proportion of food waste compared to all the other stages. Through the adoption of an extended version of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, this study investigates the drivers of four consumers’ food waste practices derived from a survey involving 250 consumers in the municipality of Uppsala. It has been shown that attitude, Perceived Behavioural Control, knowledge, language, education level, children and involvement in a pro-environmental organization were significant predictors for the examined practices. Therefore, policy implications and possible solutions for food waste were suggested.