India is known for its diversity and agricultural products. Being an Indian and Tamilian, I have tasted wide variety of food. When I landed in the UK, there was succinct change in my consumption pattern. I have relied on bread and butter, until I found ingredients needed to make Indian food. I could witness marked difference in the products that I bought for my everyday consumption. Vegetables I wanted normally weighed around a kilogram, mushrooms weighed 400 grams, and bread packets are around 400 grams with few days shelf life. Consequently, it led me to dump good and fresh vegetables into trash bins as it passed the expiry. I don’t normally resort myself to buy higher quantities in India and have wasted little. This is a serious concern related to my behaviour, which made me to explore household food waste and consumer behaviour related to it.

It is found that, household food waste has increased from 7.0 tonnes (2012) to 7.3 million tonnes (2015). The estimated value of food that could have eaten instead of throwing is around 13 billion pounds. UK is tackling this issue right from 2007 and has seen some dramatic reduction in food waste. However, due to increased wages and deflation witnessed in the year 2015 has resulted in increase of food waste (WARP, 2017). Tristram Stuart in his TED talk provides mind-boggling evidences related to food waste, watch it. He says supermarkets and restaurants in USA stocks more than twice the amount food needed for the citizens.

According to Food and Agricultural Organizations of the United Nations report (FAO 2011), 33% of the food produced is wasted per year globally. Food waste happens due to several reasons such as: lack of capability in infrastructure in harvest and post-harvest of crops, marketing, parties involved in transactions and consumer behaviour related to consumption. Instead of focussing on many issues, this article only deals with problems related to consumer behaviour.

How our behaviour leads to food waste: –

FAO 2011, reports that consumers improper planning, careless attitude and expiry dates are the reasons for food waste. Aschemann-Witzel (2017) quoted consumers normally prefer to buy optimal food (cosmetic food) than sub-optimal food (ugly food). The papers also revealed that sub-optimal food contribute more towards food waste. Waugh (1928) assessed consumers behaviour related to optimal food. Uniformity in size, colour, and packaging attractiveness of vegetables helps farmers to get more price in the market. For example, in a conducted by Waugh (1928), he found asparagus stalks with green colour for 9 inches sold at $3.70 compared to 3 inches, which only fetched $1.39. This study reveals that consumers show strong preference towards optimal foods.

Additionally, standardization of retail houses in buying only optimal food creates a situation to avoid sub-optimal food. (Topolanksy Barbe et al., 2017; Aschemann-Witzel, 2017). Every consumer looks to buy fresh food, this is indicated in the packaging as expiration date by the producer or seller. Packages carrying labels such as, “Use by” and “Best before” confuses the consumers. Consumers believe the product is unsafe after the date and discard it sometimes even before the expiry date. (Halloran et al., 2014; WARP., 2011). It is estimated that around 20% of the food is discarded in the UK due to confusions related to labels. (WARP., 2011).

Moreover, consumers end up in buying more than the required amount when price is slashed. Discounted products induce impulse and unplanned purchase. It is obvious that the price reduction was done near to the expiry date by retailers to clear the stocks (Halloran et al., 2014).

Consumer who don’t plan their purchases are influenced by offers and end up in buying more. Moreover, it is found that parents who shop with their kids buy more than planned as kids pester power influence them to buy more. (WARP., 2011).

Over preparation of food is also another reason as the leftover food is discarded into the bins. (NRDC., 2012). Consumers awareness on the effects of food waste on social and environmental welfare is low (Stefan et al., 2013). In addition, cultural values associated with food items also leads to food waste. For example, meat main portion of Danish people, hence bread and vegetables are throw away without guilt (Halloran et al., 2014).

Solutions:

Lesson’s from Indian Farmers’ Vegetable Market: –

Firstly, Indian open market by the farmers allows consumers to choose on their own. The food products that are graded (optimal produce) is only kept in the supermarkets (or organized retail outlets). Open market system (I could see them in Bangor during Friday’s) allows consumers to buy the necessary quantity, this avoids bulk purchasing of consumers. Additionally, expiration date is no affixed on any of the food produce bought from the open market. Indian open market gives us two solutions. One is partitioning effect and another one is suppression of expiration date effect.

Effect of partitioning:

Cheema and Soman (2008) stated that partitioning of larger quantity to smaller units will significantly reduce consumption quantity. For example, if you consumer more crisps when you were given a 400 grams. If the same crisps is divided into four packets with 100 grams each in it, you consumption level decreases. Consumption decreases as you need make an active decision in opening the next crisps packet.  Present UK market system, except open market on Friday, doesn’t allow partitioning effect to work. As all the products are given in higher quantities, consumers have no other choice to buy more than they want. If super markets stock fresh vegetable products and allows consumers to pick desired quantity, it may reduce food waste. So far partitioning effect is not tested at the market level.

Reducing the effect of expiration date:

When consumers buy from the open market, confusions related to expiration date will not arise. As the expiry date is not mentioned, consumers have full autonomy to decide when to discard the produce. However, this has to be proven scientifically.

Educating consumers:

Secondly, consumers are supposed to be educated to plan for their purchase in order to avoid over buying. Furthermore, awareness campaigns related to food waste can result in change in food wasting behaviour (Stefan et al., 2013).

Consumer incentives:

Finally, consumers prefer to buy sub-optimal if the price of the product is compromised (Topolanksy Barbe et al., 2017; Aschemann-Witzel, 2017). If super markets are selling sub-optimal goods it is wise to reduce the price on them.

I have now reduced food waste by proper planning in terms of shopping and cooking. Everyone should avoid food waste by understanding and modifying their own behaviour. Let’s create a harmonious and sustainable world for the future.

References:

1. Household Food Waste in the UK, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.wrap.wrap-tbx-drupal.torchboxapps.com/sites/files/wrap/Household_food_waste_in_the_UK_2015_Report.pdf
2. FAO. 2011. Global food losses and food waste – Extent, causes and prevention. Rome
3. Aschemann-Witzel, J. (2017). Consumer perception and preference for suboptimal food under the emerging practice of expiration date based pricing in supermarkets. Food Quality and Preference, [online] 63, pp.119-128. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950329317301908 [Accessed 22 Nov. 2017].
4. Halloran, A., Clement, J., Kornum, N., Bucatariu, C. and Magid, J. (2014). Addressing food waste reduction in Denmark. Food Policy, [online] 49, pp.294-301. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919214001365 [Accessed 22 Nov. 2017].
5. Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill Retrieved from https://www.indianasna.org/content/indianasna/documents/NRDC_Wasted_Food_Report.pdf
6. Cheema, A. and Soman, D. (2008). The Effect of Partitions on Controlling Consumption. Journal of Marketing Research, [online] 45(6), pp.665-675. Available at: http://journals.ama.org/doi/abs/10.1509/jmkr.45.6.665 [Accessed 22 Nov. 2017].
7. Stefan, V., van Herpen, E., Tudoran, A. and Lähteenmäki, L. (2013). Avoiding food waste by Romanian consumers: The importance of planning and shopping routines. Food Quality and Preference, [online] 28(1), pp.375-381. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950329312002066 [Accessed 22 Nov. 2017].
8. Waugh, F. (1928). Quality Factors Influencing Vegetable Prices. [online] Available at: https://academic.oup.com/ajae/article/10/2/185/71202 [Accessed 29 Nov. 2017].