Reducing Food Waste Behavior for Sustainable Consumption: The Effect of Food Consumption Values on Food Waste

We examined the factors influencing food waste in Korean households. We analyzed data sourced from the Korea Rural Economic Institute using hierarchical regression to assess the impacts of individual- and household-level factors, as well as food consumption values on food waste. Results showed that the main effects of age, metropolis, apartment, monthly food expenditure, frequency of food shopping, change in food expenditure, household size, ethical value, and convenience value were statistically significant. Food waste also increased with an increase in age, metropolis, frequency of food shopping, household size, and convenience value. As ethical values decreased, food waste increased. The influence of household size was relatively the largest, and the interactive effect of household size with functional value and convenience value as moderating variables was statistically significant.