Abstract
This study aims to examine the formation of young consumers’ food waste reduction behaviour in a developing nation. The extended theory of planned behaviour model is used as a theoretical framework to establish the hypothesized relationships between the constructs in the given context. Data were collected from young consumers of India through a questionnaire-based survey. Covariance-based structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings of the study indicate the usefulness of extended theory of planned behaviour in predicting food waste reduction behaviour among young consumers in a developing country like India. The findings’ implications will help formulate and implant public policies for reducing food waste at the household level in developing countries to ensure food security and achieve sustainable development goals.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abdelradi F (2018) Food waste behaviour at the household level: a conceptual framework. Waste Manage 71:485–493. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2017.10.001
Ajzen I (1991) The theory of planned behavior. Organ Behav Hum Decis Process 50(2):179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Ajzen I (2002) Residual effects of past on later behavior: habituation and reasoned action perspectives. Pers Soc Psychol Rev 6(2):107–122. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327957PSPR0602_02
Ajzen I, Fishbein M (1980) Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Ajzen I, Madden TJ (1986) Prediction of goal-directed behavior from attitudinal and normative variables. J Exp Soc Psychol 22(5):453–474. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1031(86)90045-4
Anderson JC, Gerbing DW (1988) Structural equation modeling in practice: a review and recommended two-step approach. Psychol Bull 103(3):411–423. https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/1989-14190-001
Aschemann-Witzel J, Peschel AO (2019) How circular will you eat? The sustainability challenge in food and consumer reaction to either waste-to-value or yet underused novel ingredients in food. Food Qual Prefer 77:15–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2019.04.012
Balaji M, Arshinder K (2016) Modelling the causes of food wastage in Indian perishable food supply chain. Resour Conserv Recycl 114:153–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.07.016
BCFN (2012) Food waste: causes, impacts and proposals. Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition
Bennet A, Bennet D (2008) Moving from knowledge to wisdom, from ordinary consciousness to extraordinary consciousness. VINE 38(1):7–15. https://doi.org/10.1108/03055720810870842
Carmines EG, Zeller RA (1979) Reliability and validity assessment. Sage Publications, London
Carvalho JG, Lima JPM, Da Rocha AMCN (2015a) Food waste and consumer satisfaction with the food service of Hotel and Tourism School of Coimbra, Portugal. Demetra: Food, Nutrition & Health 10(2):405–419. https://doi.10.12957/demetra.2015a.15423
Chin WW (1998) Issues and opinion on structural equation modeling. MIS Q 22(1):7–16. https://www.jstor.org/stable/249674
Coşkun A, Özbük RMY (2020) What influences consumer food waste behavior in restaurants? An application of the extended theory of planned behavior. Waste Manage 117:170–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2020.08.011
De Carvalho BL, De Fátima Salgueiro M, Rita P (2015b) Consumer sustainability consciousness: a five dimensional construct. Ecol Indic 58:402–410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2015b.05.053
Eagly AH, Chaiken S (1993) The psychology of attitudes. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers
FAO (2017) The future of food and agriculture – Trends and challenges. FAO, Rome
FAO and UNICEF (2018) The state of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018. Building climate resilience for food security and nutrition, 200, WFP and WHO
Fornell C, Larcker DF (1981) Evaluating Structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. J Mark Res 18(1):39–50. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151312
Gericke N, Boeve-de Pauw J, Berglund T, Olsson D (2018) The sustainability consciousness questionnaire: the theoretical development and empirical validation of an evaluation instrument for stakeholders working with sustainable development. Sustain Dev 27(1):35–49. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.1859
GHI (2022) Global Hunger Index: getting to Zero Hunger. International Food Policy Research Institute, Concern Worldwide, Welthungerhilfe, United Nations, Washington
Gokarn S, Choudhary A (2021) Modeling the key factors influencing the reduction of food loss and waste in fresh produce supply chains. J Environ Manage 294:113063. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113063
Gopalan R (2001) Sustainable food production and consumption: agenda for action. Econ Polit Wkly 36(14/15):1207–1225. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4410484
Govindan K (2018) Sustainable consumption and production in the food supply chain: a conceptual framework. Int J Prod Econ 195:419–431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2017.03.003
Graham-Rowe E, Jessop DC, Sparks P (2015) Predicting household food waste reduction using an extended theory of planned behavior. Resour Conserv Recycl 101:194–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.05.020
Gustavsson J, Cederberg C, Sonesson U, Van Otterdijk R, Meybeck A (2011) Global food losses and food waste 1–38. FAO, Rome. https://www.fao.org/3/mb060e/mb060e00.htm
Hair JF, Black WC, Babin BJ, Anderson RE, Tatham RL (1998) Multivariate Data Analysis. Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
Hee SP (2000) Relationship among attitudes and subjective norm: testing the theory of reasoned action across cultures. Comm Stud 51(2):162–175. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510970009388516
Hodges RJ, Buzby JC, Bennett B (2011) Postharvest losses and waste in developed and less developed countries: opportunities to improve resource use. J Agric Sci 149(S1):37–45. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021859610000936
Hume M (2010) Compassion without action: examining the young consumers consumption and attitude to sustainable consumption. J World Bus 45(4):385–394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2009.08.007
Irianto H (2015) Consumers’ attitude and intention towards Organic Food Purchase: an extension of theory of planned behavior in gender perspective. IJMESS 4(1):17–31. http://hdl.handle.net/10419/107961
Jackson T (2005) Motivating sustainable consumption: A review of evidence on consumer behaviour and behavioural change. Centre for Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK. http://www.sd-research.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/motivatingscfinal_000.pdf
Jin H, Lin Z, McLeay F (2020) Negative emotions, positive actions: Food safety and consumer intentions to purchase ethical food in China. Food Qual Prefer 85:103981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2020.103981
Jribi S, Ben Ismail H, Doggui D, Debbabi H (2020) COVID-19 virus outbreak lockdown: what impacts on household food wastage? Environ Dev Sustain 22(5):3939–3955. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-020-00740-y
Kalafatis SP, Pollard M, East R, Tsogas MH (1999) Green marketing and Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour: a cross-market examination. J Consum Mark 16(5):441–460. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363769910289550
Kanchanapibul M, Lacka E, Wang X, Chan HK (2014) An empirical investigation of green purchase behaviour among the young generation. J Clean Prod 66:528–536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.10.062
Lago NC, Marcon A, Ribeiro JLD, De Medeiros JF, Brião VB, Antoni VL (2020) Determinant attributes and the compensatory judgement rules applied by young consumers to purchase environmentally sustainable food products. Sustain Prod Consum 23:256–273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2020.06.003
Magnusson MK, Avrola A, Hursti Koivisto UK, Aberg L, Sjoden PO (2003) Choice of organic foods is related to perceived consequences for human health and to environmentally friendly behaviour. Appetite 40:109–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0195-6663(03)00002-3
Michaelidou N, Hassan LM (2008) The role of health consciousness, food safety concern and ethical identity on attitudes and intentions towards organic food. Int J Consum Stud 32(2):163–170. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1470-6431.2007.00619.x
Mittelman R, Rojas-Méndez J (2018) Why Canadians give to charity: an extended theory of planned behaviour model. Int Rev Public Nonprofit Mark 15(2):189–204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-018-0197-3
Mostafa MM (2007) A hierarchical analysis of the green consciousness of the egyptian consumer. Psychol Mark 24(5):445–473. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.20168
Muniandy G, Anuar M (2020) Determinants of academicians recycling behaviour. Manag Sci Lett 10(7):1597–1606. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2019.12.007
Nagaraj S (2020) Role of consumer health consciousness, food safety & attitude on organic food purchase in emerging market: a serial mediation model. J Retail Consum 59:102423. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102423
Nunnally JC, Bernstein IH (1994) Psychometric theory. McGraw-Hill, New York
O’Leary-Kelly SW, Vokurka RJ (1998) The empirical assessment of construct validity. J Oper Manag 16(4):387–405. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-6963(98)00020-5
Oteng-Peprah M, De Vries N, Acheampong MA (2020) Households’ willingness to adopt greywater treatment technologies in a developing country–exploring a modified theory of planned behaviour (TPB) model including personal norm. J Environ Manage 254:109807. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109807
Paul J. Modi A. and Patel J. (2016) Predicting green product consumption using theory of planned behavior and reasoned action. Journal of retailing and consumer services 29123–134.
Peschel AO, Aschemann-Witzel J (2017) Redeeming Guilty Pleasures-Sustainable Consumption across Vice and Virtue Categories. ACR North American Advances (pp. 18). San Diego: Association for Consumer Research Conference
Priefer C, Jörissen J, Bräutigam KR (2016) Food waste prevention in Europe–A cause-driven approach to identify the most relevant leverage points for action. Resourc Conserv Recycl 109:155–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.03.004
Reisch L, Eberle U, Lorek S (2013) Sustainable food consumption: an overview of contemporary issues and policies. Sustain: Sci Pract Policy 9(2):7–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/15487733.2013.11908111
Roberts JA (1996) Green consumers in the 1990s: profile and implications for advertising. J Bus Res 36(3):217–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/0148-2963)00150-6Get rights and content
Rooney BJ, Evans AN (2018) Methods in psychological research. Sage Publications
Schiffman LG, Kanuk LL, Wisenblit J (2010) Consumer Behavior, Global Edition. Pearson Higher Education, London
Shalender K, Yadav RK (2018) Promoting e-mobility in India: challenges, framework, and future roadmap. Environ Dev Sustain 20(6):2587–2607. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-017-0006-x
Shi JG, Xu K, Si H, Song L, Duan K (2021) Investigating intention and behaviour towards sorting household waste in chinese rural and urban–rural integration areas. J Clean Prod 298:126827. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126827
Soorani F, Ahmadvand M (2019) Determinants of consumers’ food management behavior: applying and extending the theory of planned behavior. Waste Manage 98:151–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2019.08.025
Taufique KMR, Vaithianathan S (2018) A fresh look at understanding green consumer behavior among young urban indian consumers through the lens of theory of Planned Behavior. J Clean Prod 183:46–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.02.097
Thøgersen J (1996) Recycling and morality: a critical review of the literature. Environ Behav 28(4):536–558. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916596284006
Thompson NR, Asare M, Millan C, Umstattd Meyer MR (2020) Theory of planned behavior and perceived role model as predictors of nutrition and physical activity behaviors among college students in health-related disciplines. J Community Health 45:965–972. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-05-2020-0418
Thyberg KL, Tonjes DJ (2016) Drivers of food waste and their implications for sustainable policy development. Resour Conserv Recycl 106:110–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.11.016
United Nations (20159 Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns (accessed March 2020). https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-consumption-production/
Urban J, Zverinova I, Scasný M (2012) What motivates czech consumers to buy organic food? Sociologicky casopis 48(3):509–536. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23535000
UNFPA India (2020) Young people. Retrieved June 8, 2021, from https://india.unfpa.org/en/topics/young-people-12. Accessed XX
Varah F, Mahongnao M, Pani B, Khamrang S (2021) Exploring young consumers’ intention toward green products: applying an extended theory of planned behavior. Environ Dev Sustain 23(6):9181–9195
Verma VK, Chandra B (2018) An application of theory of planned behavior to predict young indian consumers’ green hotel visit intention. J Clean Prod 172:1152–1162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.047
Vermeir I, Verbeke W (2008) Sustainable food consumption among young adults in Belgium: Theory of planned behaviour and the role of confidence and values. Ecol Econ 64(3):542–553. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10668-020-01018-z
Wohner B, Pauer E, Heinrich V, Tacker M (2019) Packaging-related food losses and waste: an overview of drivers and issues. Sustainability 11(1):264. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11010264
Wray-Lake L, Flanagan CA, Osgood DW (2010) Examining trends in adolescent environmental attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors across three decades. Environ Behav 42(1):61–85. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916509335163
Yadav R, Pathak GS (2017) Determinants of consumers’ green purchase behavior in a developing nation: applying and extending the theory of planned behavior. Ecol Econ 134:114–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.12.019
Yazdanpanah M, Forouzani M (2015) Application of the theory of Planned Behaviour to predict iranian students’ intention to purchase organic food. J Clean Prod 107:342–352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.02.071
Zeweld W, Van Huylenbroeck G, Tesfay G, Speelman S (2017) Smallholder farmers’ behavioural intentions towards sustainable agricultural practices. J Environ Manage 187:71-81.10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.11.014
Funding
There was no funding received from any source for this study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflicts of interest/Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Gokarn, S., Kushwah, S., Khaba, S. et al. Young consumers’ food waste reduction behaviour in a developing nation: extending the theory of planned behaviour. J Consum Prot Food Saf 18, 291–302 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00003-023-01443-y
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00003-023-01443-y