Food waste and consumer attitudesLAC ProjectSimon BagerEMP Batch 19 – Lund University

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Today’s talk• Introduction

• Food waste – globally and locally• The role of consumers• Other actors

• Methods• Consumer survey• Interviews• External data

• Results• Descriptive statistics• Cross-tabulations• Who, what, how much, why, what to do?

• Discussion• Discussion of method and results• How to move ahead?

• Further research• Gaps? (Information, value-action)

• Conclusion

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INTRODUCTION

What is food waste?Food waste on a global and local scaleThe role of consumersOther actors

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Why is this topic important?• Enormous amounts of food are wasted• Roughly one-third of food produced for human consumption,

about 1.3 billion tonnes per year, gets lost or wasted globally—the equivalent of 6-10 % of human-generated greenhouse gas emissions (Gustavsson et al., 2011; Vermeulen et al., 2012 for the calculation on emissions)

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Why is this topic important?• It is a hidden problem• The much debated amount of food produced for biofuels is less

than half of the total food waste (Stuart, 2009 after IFPRI)

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Why is this topic important?• The benefits of dealing with the problem are many• Reducing food waste has minimal negative consequences• it is not simply the carbon emissions associated with food waste

that are problematic, but also the unnecessary consumption of resources and the social injustice that food waste perpetuates.

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Why is this topic important?• We can all do something about it!• For each kilo of food not wasted, GHG emissions can be reduced

by roughly 2 kg CO2eq (SSM, n.d.), which means that the environmental benefits from curbing food waste are massive.

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Source: CCAFS, 2012 after FAO, 2012

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Sources:CCAFS, 2012

UN-DESA, 2011

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Dietary changesMore demand for meat =more demand for crops to feed animals = more demand for land.

More than 1.4 billion adults—one out of every five—are overweight. One out of every ten is obese.

By 2050, food production must be 60% higher than today to meet demand.

Sources: Alexandratos and Bruinsma, 2012; CCAFS, 2012

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Food waste - global• Food waste is a global problem• Research indicates that around a third of all food is wasted• Problems are not uniform• Food waste in low-income countries: harvest/post-harvest losses,

storage, infrastructure• Food waste in Europe and US: Retailers and consumers

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Food waste - local• The waste I/you/we can do something about• Generated by supermarkets and consumers• In western Europe, most

food is wasted by consumers.• Changing this requires education, raising public awareness, and

changed consumer attitudes (Biswas & Ching, 2011)• Some of the losses might also be attributed to price. High income,

low prices –> less incentive not to waste

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The role of consumers• Lack of information?• Much research point to the fact that many consumers are simply not

aware of how much food they waste, and as such, not aware of the financial losses suffered (Stuart, 2009; FoE, 2011; Ritzau, 2011).

• Does anyone know how much is wasted?• Denmark: every citizen wastes 63 kilos of food every year (Ritzau, 2011).• DenmarK: consumers waste roughly 125 kg of food every year, and 60-65 kg of

unspoiled food are thrown directly in the trashcan, the equivalent of 15-20% of the food actually bought (Mogensen et al., 2011: 18).

• UK/US: numbers are 70 kg and 96 kg per capita, respectively (Stuart, 2009: 72)• Per-capita consumer waste is estimated to be 95 to 115 kg per year for Europe

and North America (Gustavsson et al. 2011)

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Other actors – legislative bodiesLegislative changes• Relaxing the standards on what

constitutes food for humans or by changing rules for food labelling(Batty, 2011) (e.g. size and shape)

• “On farms, photographic sensors scanall harvested carrots and reject thosethat are crooked, dull, blemished, toothin or too fat. As a result, 25 to 30%of carrots end up as animal feed eventhough they pose no health risk tohumans.” (Biswas & Ching, 2011)

• Allowing food waste to be fed to farm animals• “The Pig Idea” – initiative launched at World Environment Day

• “Humans have been recycling food waste by feeding it to pigs for thousands of years. … Cutting down rainforest in the Amazon to grow pig feed for pigs in Europe makes no sense.”“We aim to lift the EU ban on the feeding of catering waste to pigs”

• Subsidies• EU rules encourage surplus production that ends up as waste

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Other actors - supermarkets• Holds extensive power within the value chain

In the traditional business model, they have an interest in encouraging waste at all stages:• Pre-retail: Encourages waste as some products are discarded on cosmetic grounds

Retail: high waste rate by stocking only fresh products• Post-retail: “3 for the prize of 2” is generally more profitable than selling one. This

encourages domestic waste, as consumers buy more than they need.• What is “fit for consumption”?• EC has changed the rules; rigorous standards mostly enforced by supermarkets

• (In DK) supermarkets generate an average of 200 kg of food waste a week• There is a marked difference in the type of food waste generated depending on the

type of supermarket, but vegetables (47%), fruit (27%) and bread constitutes the largest fractions of food waste in the retail business (Mogensen et al., 2011: 18).

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METHODS

Consumer surveyInterviewsExternal data

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Consumer survey• 24 questions (2 of these to identify audience)• Distributed online through social media• Survey opened March 2013, closed 31 May 2013• 240 surveys started, 217 completely finished.• About 40 respondents from local supermarket

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Data• Journals and reports:• World agriculture towards 2030/2050: the 2012 revision. • FAO - the state of food insecurity in the world 2012• Global food losses and food waste.• The climate change and economic impacts of food waste in the United

States• Climate change and food systems.

• Books:• Tristram Stuart (2009) Waste• Schaldemose & Engelbrecht (2011) Foodfight.eu

• Movies and campaigns:• Taste the Waste (http://www.tastethewaste.com/)• Think, Eat, Save (http://www.thinkeatsave.org/)• Stop Wasting Food (http://www.stopspildafmad.dk/inenglish.html)• The Pig Idea (http://www.thepigidea.org/)

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RESULTS

Descriptive statisticsCross-tabulationsInterpreting the results - Who, what, how much, why, what to do?

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Survey:• Audience:• Female: 67% (154)• Male: 33% (76)

• Age:• 80% age 20-29• 7% age 40+

Descriptive statistics - Target audience

Answer Response %0-19 12 5%20-29 186 80%30-39 18 8%40-49 9 4%50-59 5 2%60+ 3 1%Total 233 100%

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Thinking about food waste• Are you conscious as to how much food you waste?• Yes: 82% (190)• No: 18% (41)

• Do you feel bad about throwing out leftovers and other edible food?• Yes: 90% (195)• No: 10% (21)

• Which of the following would you define as food waste?

• Avoidable / unavoidable food waste?

Answer Response %Food waste is throwing out food that could have been eaten by yourself or others 216 93%Food waste is throwing out cooking scraps (orange peels, bones, pea pods, etc.) 44 19%Food waste is buying more food than you really need. 174 75%Food waste is throwing out a piece of fruit because it is bruised/blemished/wrinkled.

122 53%

Food waste is throwing out food because it has been on the table. 168 72%Food waste is throwing out the last part of a tube/container/bottle, because you can’t easily get it out.

122 53%

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What do people do with ‘old’ food?

• Do you throw out food when it is past the ‘best before date’?• Yes: 37% (84)• No: 63% (146)• If no, what do you then do?

• Smell (89%), taste (57%), other (10%) – ”Duh, I look at it”

• Do you throw out food when it is past the ‘expiry date’?• Yes: 47% (107)• No: 53% (120)• If no, what do you then do?

• Smell (92%), taste (55%), other (10%) – ”Texture”

There is a difference in actionsamongst the two scenarios,but not statistically significant.

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Food waste

How much of your food wouldyou say you waste?

How much food do you thinkis wasted globally?

• Do/did you know the answer?

• Why the big difference?

MY WASTEAnswer Response %Nothing 5 2%Less than 10% 150 70%About a fifth (20%) 53 25%A third or more (30-40%) 5 2%About half (50% or more) 2 1%Total 215 100%

GLOBAL WASTEAnswer Response %Almost nothing - less than 5%

0 0%

Around a tenth (10%) 4 2%Around a fifth (20%) 39 18%Around a third (33%) 98 45%Almost half (50%) 75 35%Total 216 100% 23

Cross-tabulations – 1‘Environmental consciousness and perceptions of domestic food waste

• People who consider themselves environmentally friendly also believe they waste less food

• People who do not consider themselves environmentally friendly probably have a more realistic estimate of their actual waste

• Are we fooling ourselves?24

Age and perception of waste

• Young people and women have a better perception of own waste..• .. but everyone is (within statistical uncertainty) equally

knowledgeable about the scale of global waste.• Why is this the case? 25

Initiatives• Supermarket initiatives- Would you buy food with an expiration

date today or tomorrow at a discount (say, 30-50% off the original price)?

Amongst the group surveyed, there is room for implementing similar initiatives elsewhere.

• Legislative changes- Would you buy weird-looking food

(crooked cucumbers, apples with spots, very large/small potatoes, etc.) if you were given an incentive such as a discount?

There seems to be a market for selling ‘misshaped’ produce

Answer Response %Yes, I would even buy it at no discount.

68 32%

Yes, at 10% off or more. 53 25%Yes, but it would have to be at a significant discount (say, 50%).

46 21%

No 48 22%

Answer Response %No, I don't want to buy old food.

18 8%

Not with a 30% discount, but perhaps with 50-75% off.

13 6%

Depends on the good. 84 39%Yes, I would do so. 34 16%Yes, I am already doing so.

110 51%

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InitiativesSupermarket initiatives• Irma’s ‘Date service’ initiative• Rema 1000 cancels ”Buy 1, get 2”

Consumer initiatives• ?

Legislative initiatives• ”The crooked cucumber”

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Cross-tabulations – 3‘Best before’ date & WTB ‘different’ food

Customers that throw out food on ‘best before’ date are less willing to buy food that expires soon, but this does not seem to affect their willingness to buy weirdly shaped goods. 28

Dumpster diving• Definition: Taking edible, non-spoiled food

out of a supermarket container• Issues?• Safety• Ethical• Economic

• Age trend? Gender trend?

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Interpreting the results – the ”value-action gap”• During the last week, how

many times did you throwout edible food?

• How does this compare to the120 kg of food wasted everyyear by every citizen?(statistically, we waste 320 g. food/day).

• Why is it like this?• apparent ‘discrepancy’ between stated beliefs (and values)

and behaviour, which comprises the so-called ‘value-action gap’. Various writers have observed this in different contexts.

• We believe we are ethical consumers, yet our actions prove that we are indeed wasteful.

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Answer Response %Several times (more than 5 times)

4 2%

It has happened more often than not (3-4 times)

23 10%

It happened (1-2 times) 145 63%I did not throw out edible food (0 times)

60 26%

Total 232 100%

Value-action gap 2

• When you cook a meal,do you usually have food left?• Can we believe these

responses, in view of what we just learned?

• Can targeting this be a solution?

• What would you do with a small portion of leftovers? • Is this a solution?• “eat it (forcing myself a

little)” .. 31

Answer Response %Yes, always (4 out of 5 times or more).

22 10%

Most of the time (3 out of 5 times).

70 32%

It happens (2 out of 5 times ).

80 37%

Almost never (0-1 out of 5 times).

45 21%

Total 217 100%

Answer Response %Throw it out. 21 10%Eat it for lunch next day. 185 85%Freeze it for later use. 76 35%Use it as ingredients in another dish

108 50%

Give it to the dog/other animal (if applicable).

36 17%

Other (please specify) 4 2%

Value-action gap 3• The waste we don’t realize we are creating• When you shop, do you pick

the freshest item on the shelf,regardless of when you needto use it?• Almost everyone does this.• What are the consequences

of this?• How can we change this?

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Answer Response %Yes, always. 69 32%Yes, most of the time. 83 38%Sometimes, but only if I discover that the one I selected expires soon.

41 19%

No, I don't really think about it.

24 11%

Total 217 100%

DISCUSSION

Discussion of methods and resultsHow to move ahead?

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Discussion of methods

• Gender and age bias• Most respondents were

young women (20-29)• Limited sample size• (217 respondents)

• Statistically significant?• Extrapolation?• Interpretation limited by statistical uncertainty

• How to interpret results in this context?34

Discussion of results

• People feel bad about wasting food – but do it anyway• We waste more than we think• Value-action gap

• Open to new suggestions and initiatives• Dateservice• ”Crooked cucumber”

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How to move forward?• How do we combat food waste?• Legislative changes

• Size and shape (e.g. ”the crooked cucumber)• Labelling and packaging (e.g. selling produce by unit/weight)• Health and safety (e.g. best before and/or expiry date)

• Value changes• Consumer attitudes• Information campaigns

• Initiatives• Retail driven (e.g. ”Date service”)• NGO/Organization driven (e.g. ”Think Eat Save”)• Consumer driven (e.g. Stop wasting food)

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Further research needed?• What do we need to know to

combat food waste at retailand consumer level?• Scale of problem• Information• Legislation?

• Will voluntary actions fromsupermarkets and consumersbe enough?• Supermarket chain Tesco has pledged

to use its scale and clout toreduce the amount of foodwasted by its customers andelsewhere in its internationalsupply chain. 37

What else can we do?• Use Apps to help you:• The Green Egg Shopper, Leloca, Gojee, 222 million tons

• Browse websites and campaigns:• Think. Eat. Save. (UN) (http://www.thinkeatsave.org)• Stop Wasting Food (DK) (http://www.stopspildafmad.dk/)• The Pig Idea (http://www.thepigidea.org/)• LOVE FOOD, hate waste (UK) (http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/)• SAVE FOOD Initiative (EU) (http://www.save-food.org/)• Slow Food Movement (EU) (http://www.slowfood.com/)• Taste the Waste (DE) (http://www.tastethewaste.com/)• Environmental Protection Agency (US) Food Recovery Challenge

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CONCLUSION 39

ConclusionGeneral:• Food waste is a major global problem• Food waste occur in all parts of the food chain• Food waste in high-income countries occur late in the value chain• Food waste is widespread for all food items, but some are highly

problematic• Retailers play a major role in regulating waste pre-sale and sale• Consumers play a major role regulating waste sale and post-sale

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ConclusionSurvey:• People do not like to waste food• .. but they do so anyway• .. at larger scale than imagined• Previous research found this as well.

• Value-action gap?

• But..• Consumers are open to new initiatives• Initiatives do actually reduce waste

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Thank you..• Questions?

Green is not just a colour – it’s a way of life

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References• Alexandratos N, Bruinsma J. 2012. World agriculture towards 2030/2050: the 2012 revision. ESA

Working Paper 12-03. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). (Available from http://www.fao.org/docrep/016/ap106e/ap106e.pdf)

• [FAO] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2012. The state of food insecurity in the world 2012: Economic growth is necessary but not sufficient to accelerate reduction of hunger and malnutrition. Rome: FAO. (Available fromhttp://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/en/)

• Gustavsson J, Cederberg C, Sonesson U, van Otterdijk R, Meybeck A. 2011. Global food losses and food waste. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). (Available fromhttp://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ags/publications/ GFL_web.pdf)

• Schaldemose C, Engelbrecht B. 2011. Foodfight.EU. Copenhagen, Denmark: Sohn• Stuart T. 2009. Waste – Uncovering the global food scandal. London, UK: Penguin• Venkat K. 2011. The climate change and economic impacts of food waste in the United

States. International Journal of Food System Dynamics 2(4):431-446.• Vermeulen SJ, Campbell BM, Ingram J SI. 2012. Climate change and food systems. Annual Review of

Environmental Resources 37. (Available from http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/ annurev-environ-020411-130608)

• [UN-DESA] United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 2011. World population prospects: the 2010 revision. Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat. New York. (Available fromhttp://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/index.htm)

• [WHO] World Health Organization. 2012. Obesity and overweight. Fact sheet n°311. Geneva: WHO. (Available fromhttp://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/)

• Rob Flynn, Paul Bellaby and Miriam Ricci. 2010. The ‘value-action gap’ in public attitudes towards sustainable energy: the case of hydrogen energy. In: Bob Carter and Nickie Charles (eds.) Society, nature and sociology.

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