Factors that Influence the Household Food Wastes

Abstract

Food waste is one of the most global political issues of the twenty-first century due to increasing the world’s population and consumption. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, approximately one-third of food is wasted from the hundreds of million tons of available food. Food waste occurs at every point of the agri-food supply chain, from field to fork (primary production, storage, manufacturing, transport, distribution, food services, wholesale, retail, household consumption). The household consumption phase is one of the most significant sources of food waste. Numerous factors have a considerable correlation with household food waste production. Among the factors influencing the source of food waste, some factors can be delineated, such as age, gender, education, employment status, income, household size and type, inadequate planning of shopping, marketing strategies, cooking, etc. In addition, more food is pushed onto households than they need because of the competitiveness in the market, a situation that generates food waste. Even if there is an increasing tendency in research related to food waste at the household level, relatively little is known about the factors that influence food waste generation in households. The main aim is to briefly review the socio-demographic and household food management factors that promote household food waste.