Antecedents of the intention to reduce food waste

A meta-analytic study

Abstract

Purpose: In view of the contradictory results found in the extant literature, this study aims to analyse the overall effect of attitude, perceived behavioural control, and subjective norms on the intention to reduce food waste. Method: A meta-analytic study was carried out. 25 empirical articles were examined, with a total of 67 effect sizes and a cumulative sample of 30,960 consumers. Findings: The key findings reveal a consistent positive relationship between attitude, perceived behavioural control, subjective norms, and the intention to reduce food waste. Moreover, the effect size tends to be larger in the relationship between subjective norms and the intention to reduce food waste in samples composed of non-students. Theoretical contributions: This study reveals the general effect of the attitude, perceived behavioural control, and subjective norms on the intention to reduce food waste. The main contribution of this work was to analyse contradictory results from previous research and reveal generalizable global effects of the antecedents of the intention to reduce food waste. Practical contributions: In short, public and private educational institutions, in partnership with state or federal government agencies, could propose workshops and design online educational booklets to encourage food waste reduction. Moreover, advertisements including precise instructions on reducing waste can make the respective tasks more tangible for consumers, making them easier to perform. Marketing practitioners should also delineate strategies to reduce food waste, such as selling ugly food that is still suitable for human consumption and employing influencer marketing. Such strategies should be segmented according to the consumers' profiles. For instance, those more sensitized to environmental causes (e.g., environmental activists) may be more willing to reduce food waste.