Attitudes and practices towards food waste by households in the Maltese islands

Abstract

Food and food waste are often taken for granted. Although there is enough food to meet the demands of all people across the globe, it is not distributed evenly and large amounts are wasted throughout the entire food supply chain, i.e. from production and harvest in farms, through to the processing, storage and retail in stores up to the consumer stage in households. This research study explores the attitudes and practices of a sample of households in Malta and Gozo towards food waste by means of questionnaires and interviews. Besides looking at shopping habits, food consumption and food waste habits, the study also looks at the possible introduction of a new food waste collection system and the effect of demographic characteristics that may influence food waste. Quantifying food waste was difficult since most participants had difficulties in defining it. Reasons for discarding food included the surpassing of expiry, use by or best before dates, improper storage of food, improper planning when shopping, preparing food badly and not using leftovers properly. People’s attitudes also varied but most regarded food waste as a waste of money and a cause of guilt. Influences of demographic factors such as gender, age, district of residence, level of education or household size were minimal with no dominant factor shining over others. The possible introduction of a new bag for food waste was met with interest but participants had reservations regarding its collection frequency and logistics. Finally, with regards to reducing food waste, participants agreed that policies can be tailor made for each individual stage of the food supply chain before reaching the consumption stage in households. To target households it was suggested to increase awareness about the matter through media and by using various campaigns in schools and beyond, in accordance with education for sustainable development.