Food waste prevention behavior in the context of hedonic and utilitarian shopping value

Every year, about one third of food intended for human consumption is lost or wasted. The majority of this waste occurs at the consumer level, and disproportionately in developed countries. Given the strong consensus that food waste needs to be reduced, many studies have examined the reasons for food waste behavior as well as possible ways to reduce this waste. This paper sets out to study behavioral aspects to understand what shopping-related factors might influence food waste prevention behavior at the consumer level. In a survey of US consumers (sample size n = 609), this study tests several constructs by developing a structural equation model, finding that price consciousness, environmental concern, and health consciousness exert a positive effect on food waste prevention behavior, while finding a negative effect of hedonic shopping value on food waste prevention behavior. Based on these findings, this paper attempts to outline potential areas for future research as well as policy and managerial implications. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.