Food waste paradoxantecedents of food disposal in low income households

Resumo

This article aims to identify antecedents of food waste among lower-middle class families - a paradox, given the financial constraints this population faces. The importance of this research is evident in escalating environmental pressures for better use of our planet's scarce resources. Given that most of the world is low-income, any behavioral change in this population is likely to have a considerable impact. Empirical data were collected from 14 lower-middle income Brazilian households, based on observations, in-depth interviews, photographs and a focus group (n=6). Five major categories of food waste antecedents were identified: (1) excessive purchasing, (2) over-preparation, (3) caring for a pet, (4) avoidance of leftovers and (5) inappropriate food conservation. Several subcategories were also found, including impulse buying, lack of planning and preference for large packages. Surprisingly, findings show that strategies used to save money - such as buying groceries in bulk, monthly shopping trips, preference for supermarkets and cooking from scratch - actually end up generating more food waste. This mitigates the savings made during the purchasing phase.

Ficha do documento

Tipo

Artigo científico

Ano

2015

Instituição

Wiley-Blackwell

Fonte

Repositório da FGV

Idioma

Inglês

Acesso

Acesso restrito

DOI

10.1111/ijcs.12207

Identificador

oai:repositorio.fgv.br:10438/23509

Temas

Economia

Palavras-chave

Household food wasteFood consumptionLow incomeBrazilian marketEconomiaResíduos industriaisAlimentação - Brasil