Predictors of Food Waste Behaviour: The Case of Young Malaysian Consumers

Abstract

The increase in global food waste has raised considerable concern for the environment. Over 820 million people worldwide are undernourished, while nearly a quarter of the global edible food is wasted by people. Malaysian consumers waste an estimated 16,668 tonnes of edible food daily, which has exacerbated food waste issues. Although households are the major contributors in generating food waste, it has been indicated that young consumers tend to waste more food compared to the elderly as they tend to eat outside or order takeaway food rather than eat at home or cook themselves. Therefore, the present quantitative study aims to develop a conceptual model to predict the factors that influence food waste behaviour among young Malaysians. A total of 222 useful data were collected through the Online Survey. The findings showed that environmentally conscious purchase, impulsive food purchasing, personal attitude, financial attitude, and social influence could impact food waste intention and consequently, actual food waste behaviour among young Malaysians. The findings provide implications for the food and beverage sector and the government to mitigate the food waste behaviour among the younger generation.