Breaking the foodberg : a socio-ecological study of food waste production in Maltese households

Abstract

‘Food Waste’ is an issue which has been receiving increasing global interest over the last years. In developed countries, the consumer is the biggest contributor to food waste. Local data on household food waste is very limited. This study explored what influences (directly or indirectly) Maltese households to produce food waste during meal planning (including purchase and storage), preparation and consumption. Since preliminary research revealed a relationship between food waste within households and the rest of the food supply chain, this study also explored how the former affects food waste within the retail and food service sectors and vice-versa. To comprehensively analyse this phenomenon, a socio-ecological framework was adopted, since it considers all influences within all levels of the environment and the interactions between them. An exploratory, sequential, mixed methods approach divided into three phases, each building on the other, was used. In phase 1, literature and oneto- one, semi-structured interviews were used to gain a general understanding of the issue under study and provide an insight into the research question and goals, particularly the impact of consumer choices on retail and food service food waste. In phase 2, a large-scale survey with a representative sample of Maltese main meal providers was carried out to gather generalisable data which comprehensively answers the research goals and possibly reveal differences across socio-demographic characteristics. In phase 3, one focus group interview, was carried out to triangulate the study and consolidate the validity and reliability of survey results. Each participant also kept a waste measurement diary for a week. Results revealed that main meal providers, were the greatest determinant of household food waste. The micro and meso system emerged as the most influential. Micro influences included the main meal providers’ knowledge, awareness and attitudes towards food waste, its implications, the amounts discarded and the possible practices to engage in. Engagement in food waste reducing practices was also influenced by the main meal providers’ and their households’ characteristics such as food preference, fear of food poisoning, cooking skills and habits amongst others. Socio-demographic factors also influenced food waste. The most influential was the participant’s age, with those of older age being found to engage in a larger number of food waste reducing practices. Other less influential socio-demographic factors include district, gender, educational level, income and the presence of children. The effect of these attributes did not occur in isolation, but rather through interacting with each other and with other factors within the other environment levels. These included mass media, retail establishments, exposure to agricultural experiences, local infrastructure for the collection of separated food waste, opportunities for learning, food packaging, type of food, time available and time of day, pet food market, socio-cultural norms, religion, the government, seasonality, changes in household size, childhood experiences, generation differences, cooking experience and the effect of time on food quality. Interestingly, food service establishments did not contribute to household food waste. On their own and through interacting with each other, these factors also acted as barriers or facilitators to household food waste reduction. Results also revealed that main meal providers influenced wastage in the retail and food service sector. Consumers impacted on retail food waste through their expectations and purchasing habits. In food service, waste was caused by their tendency to leave food in their plates, as well as their appetite, food and ordering preferences, perceptions about take-away systems, strict adherence to religious and cultural traditions, the tendency to eat out without reserving a table, unnotified cancellations, wasteful behaviours during buffets, choosing large portion sizes and expectations towards having variety, freshness, high quality food and low prices. Socio-demographic factors (age, gender, family size, presence of children, educational level, income, lifestyle, and the tendency to produce food and own pets) were also influential. Based on these results, it is recommended that action towards reducing food waste is taken whilst taking into consideration the factors influencing and hindering behaviour change. A list of recommendations and a sample social marketing plan were formulated relative to this.