CONSUMER ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS TOWARDS THE PROBLEM OF FOOD WASTE AND THEIR DETERMINANTS
Eugenia Czernyszewicz,
Jolanta Król,
Edyta Bobruk,
Aneta Brodziak,
Tadeusz Sikora
Abstract: With the development of civilisation, the world has recorded an increase in the production, processing, and consumption of food. An excessive supply of various food products leads to irrational purchases and, consequently, to wastage of food products and raw materials. This has negative social, economic and environmental consequences. Because food waste occurs in households on the largest scale compared to other stages of the food chain, a study of consumer attitudes and behaviour towards the food waste problem was undertaken. The study was conducted in 2024 on a sample of 306 consumers, using an online survey. Consumer attitudes were examined along cognitive, emotional, and behavioural dimensions. The thematic scope of the analysis included issues such as consumer perceptions of food waste, individual behaviour, and habits of consumers, the most commonly wasted food products, and opportunities to reduce this phenomenon by promoting sustainable consumer practices. Food waste occurs mainly when it exceeds the expiration date, excessive purchases, or improper food storage. Ninety % of the respondents admitted that they throw away food, including one in three, several times a month. The most commonly discarded food products are leftovers of meals, bread, fruit, and vegetables. The vast majority of respondents (98%) were aware of the problem of food waste and tried to reduce it by using various practices, such as checking before going shopping what products were in the house, using products from the previous day, or freezing excess food.
Keywords: Food waste, Households, Causes of food waste, Reduce food waste
DOI: 10.24874/IJQR20.02-11
Recieved: 22.07.2025 Accepted: 30.01.2026 UDC:
Reads: 120 
