• Households produce the majority of food waste, a statistic that won’t budge as long as a lack of awareness and competing priorities continue to reinforce wasteful patterns.
• Encouraging households to plan, cook, and store their meals effectively while being mindful of waste helps them take control of their consumption habits. 
• Fostering flexible attitudes around meals and adapting to changing circumstances promotes creative cooking routines that reduce waste.
• Improving awareness of how to interpret date labels and empowering people to rethink the decision to discard food shifts eating norms in a sustainable direction.

According to the United Nations, an estimated 783 million people were affected by hunger in 2022. With so many people going undernourished, you’d think we had a food shortage problem. In much of the world, however, we have more food than we know what to do with. Over 1 billion meals a day are wasted, adding up to an estimated 30% of food produced for human consumption.⁶ Sure, some of it is inedible scraps, but according to the UK’s Waste and Resources Action Programme, half of the food thrown away could have been consumed.⁵ 

People don’t like to waste food, with many expressing feelings of aversion or guilt.⁷ Nevertheless, it happens, driven by a host of behaviors that are influenced by personal, cultural, and contextual factors. This disconnect between the aversion to food waste and the prevalence of behaviors that lead to waste highlights an intention-action gap that must be closed with thoughtful intervention.⁸ The aim of avoiding food waste hits a snag when competing priorities take precedence, such as food safety, convenience, and time pressures.⁹

Waste is not just the act of discarding food; it is set into motion with the planning, shopping, storing, preparing, cooking, and eating that take place beforehand.⁹ Participants in a study conducted by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) reported that food waste was driven by social norms like the “ick factor” of eating foods past their “Best By” date, the allure of “2 for 1 deals” that lead to excess purchases, and a lack of proper storage and fridge oversight, among other factors.¹⁰ There’s too much food, too much disorganization, too much confusion around labels—no wonder the waste adds up.

Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to this context, current attitudes and subjective norms around food waste influence household intentions to reduce it, which can result in an actual decrease in food waste. Consumers who feel in control will take a proactive approach to waste reduction. When motivation, opportunities, and abilities to tackle food waste are high, it diminishes.⁸ Behavioral interventions must be carefully designed to make waste visible, make the benefits of reducing it tangible, and empower consumers to make the best choices for their household and the planet.  

Heads of households already have plenty on their plate as they shoulder the responsibility of providing for their loved ones. However, the pressure to be a good provider and the challenge of effective planning make an outsized contribution to the buildup of food waste.

Bringing Home the Bacon

Waste occurs when we have more than we need. For many, the opposite is far more frightening: failing to have enough to go around. This fear of scarcity drives a preference for abundance—households would rather err on the side of excess than risk not being able to provide. Research from the University of Groningen reveals that the “good provider” identity is a key motivator for excessive purchasing, which ultimately leads to waste.¹¹

Heads of households strive to provide for their families at a low cost, making bulk buying an attractive choice. Buying smaller quantities is often not even an option, forcing them to buy more than they can use. The desire to be a good host often leads to overestimation of how much food should be cooked.¹² We would much rather rest assured knowing everyone is well-fed than adjust our behavior to strive toward an abstract goal of lower waste.

Poor Planning

Food waste starts before the groceries even get home. Many householders forgo planning meals or creating shopping lists, making them more prone to buying items they don’t need or struggling to prepare what they have. Lack of communication with other household members before shopping can also lead to duplicate purchases.¹³ 

Despite a distaste for waste, many report that “something more important” often takes priority over managing food effectively. Coordinating meals with waste minimization in mind requires a careful balancing act of ensuring household members are taken care of and reducing “avoidable” food waste, a feat that is shaped by time constraints, divisions of labor, available space, and a multitude of contextual factors.⁷ One study found that, of 190 recorded occurrences of household food waste, 77 occurred at the planning or purchasing stage, suggesting an opportunity here for impactful intervention.³

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Not only is waste not top-of-mind for consumers when they are shopping and cooking for their households, but it very quickly disappears from sight as it tumbles into the bin. In areas where there is no separate collection for food waste, or where it is not mandatory to use these services, it ends up rotting in landfills. Food waste comprises the largest component of waste in U.S. landfills at 24%, and contributes to the third largest source (17%) of human-induced methane emissions—a clear burden on our climate.¹⁴  

The habit of tossing food with the rest of the garbage exacerbates the lack of food waste awareness, which translates to lower levels of concern. In one survey of UK citizens, 81% of people expressed concern about climate change, but only 32% linked food waste as a contributor.¹⁵ The availability heuristic causes us to judge things as more important based on how easily they come to mind, and for many, pollution from plastic and aviation feels much more salient than emissions from their measly scraps.

The journey toward lower food waste starts with smart shopping and precise preparation, governed by clear motivators and supported by helpful tools. Food retailers, educators, and policymakers can inspire reflection on consumption habits, from the grocery store to the compost caddy.

From Scarcity to Savvy

The priority of being a good provider isn’t going away, but activating the identity of a thrifty shopper might help steer consumption habits in the right direction. Interestingly, when people waste food, it’s not the environmental concerns that bring up the biggest feelings of guilt—it’s often about wasting hard-earned money and scarce time spent shopping for food that ends up being thrown away. Appealing to consumers’ ethic of thrift may be even more effective than environmental messaging that many campaigns have opted for.⁷ Awareness campaigns should point out the savings generated by food waste reduction to promote savvy shopping, turning guilt about waste into agency by highlighting what consumers can gain back.

Retailers have a role to play in preventing overpurchasing, starting with offering smaller package sizes among their assortment, which cues consumers to control their consumption. Food swaps can then be suggested while customers use technology like handheld barcode scanners or mobile apps to scan a product, nudging them toward a smaller alternative. Rather than offering “2 for 1” deals that encourage consumers to buy multiple identical items, stores can promote “buy one, get one free” deals that involve products that complement each other or that can be used together in meals, shifting promotional tactics from quantity to quality.¹¹ Customers still get great value, but diversified purchases reduce the likelihood that excess will go to waste.

Making a Plan That Sticks

Among the highest-priority behaviors that the Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre seeks to foster in Australians are making shopping lists and planning meals.¹⁶ At the same time, “planning” is not one simple habit; it’s a complex strategy made up of multiple behaviors.¹³ Interventions should aim to aid specific steps of the process, such as selecting recipes, shopping for ingredients, and preparing meals. This could include providing access to recipe portals, distributing shopping list and meal prep templates, and sharing hacks for more efficient preparation. In one study, creating shopping lists paired with photos of fridge contents proved to be a popular strategy, as it was viewed as low-effort and easy to integrate into existing routines.⁴

Even with careful planning, leftovers are almost inevitable. Educational programs should focus on sharing food preservation best practices to make prepared foods last as long as possible. Consumers can even use planning and smart storage to their advantage to save on cooking time by batch cooking meals and saving them in the fridge or freezer to be easily reheated later. 

Make Waste Hard to Ignore

Curiously, in a study that took place in countries with waste systems that require waste separation, including a dedicated caddy for food waste, there was minimal edible food disposed of in these bins. The impact of the caddy was found to be threefold: it sparked awareness of how much is being wasted, inspired reflection on consumption habits, and served as positive reinforcement that the user was making the right choice by diverting food from the landfill.¹²

Policymakers can see these benefits locally by providing separate food waste collections, not only allowing food waste to be used productively as compost but also cultivating much-needed awareness. South Korea banned sending food to the landfill in 2005, requiring that it instead be disposed of in biodegradable bags. From 1995 to 2016, food recycling skyrocketed from 2.1% to 90%, allowing organic waste to be used for animal feed and fertilizer.¹³ Making food waste visible causes households to check their consumption habits, including how they plan and store meals, and reduces feelings of guilt associated with food waste without encouraging wasteful behaviors.¹²

It’s not just the resulting waste that has a habit of staying out of view—in many households, the fridge or pantry becomes a void where fresh food and prepared leftovers stay hidden until it’s too late. The struggle to use up what consumers already have leaves them feeling powerless to reduce waste.

The Fridge Paradox

The irony of the refrigerator is that it promises preservation but often becomes a catalyst for food waste. Refrigerators have transformed our food landscape, allowing us to consume foods from around the world and prevent them from spoiling—at least, that’s what they should be doing.¹⁷ While refrigeration may slow down the process of decay, it can’t stop the clock. The fridge is built like a fortress to keep cold in, but its hidden nooks and crannies keep food out of view. The crisper drawer that’s supposed to keep food fresh inadvertently becomes a veggie graveyard, while crowds of half-empty jars past their expiration dates populate the door racks. Householders can acknowledge the role that the fridge plays in generating food waste, lamenting that food is easily forgotten behind its doors, often neglected until it becomes unsalvageable.¹⁷

The Comfort of Routine

Many households stick to familiar recipes because when they go out on a limb to try something new, they end up with leftover ingredients they don’t know what to do with.¹² This encourages sticking with the status quo for more manageable meal preparation but contributes to a feedback loop that limits adaptability. Repeating the same meals seems like a recipe for consistency, but unexpected changes happen all the time: a dinner guest cancels, a child suddenly refuses to eat their usual favorite, or a late workday makes the planned meal feel too ambitious. When things don’t go according to plan, consumers must be prepared to pivot, requiring an attitude of flexibility and the confidence to handle substitutions, repurpose ingredients, and reimagine leftovers without seeing them as a burden.

Food waste feels like a fact of life’s twists and turns, but it doesn’t have to be that way. In the face of unexpected events or changes, consumers can seize opportunities to build adaptability.

Let the Fridge Decide What’s for Dinner

Australia’s Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre sought to identify the top behaviors associated with low food waste, and found that effective fridge and pantry management came out on top.¹⁶ Moving the oldest items to the front, using them up first, and checking what food is already in the fridge before shopping for more helped consumers keep waste low.

Effective fridge organization requires food to be visible. Some higher-tech solutions include smart fridges that use cameras to help you stay on top of what’s inside, but even just using transparent food storage containers can help lower food waste.¹³ With proper oversight, consumers can ensure that the fridge remains a tool for preserving food, instead of a machine that turns food into waste.

Going With the Flow

Though planning shopping lists and food preparation is a powerful way to limit waste, consumers must learn to balance that predictability with adaptation. A Dutch study recommends incorporating flexible meal moments by exploring new foods and recipes or adapting leftovers to stay sharp about how to make the most of food purchases.¹⁸ Promoting adaptable consumption includes modifying meal plans on the fly, substituting ingredients when necessary, using up sub-optimal foods, and staying on top of storage. Educational guides should aim to support flexible ways of thinking about meal planning and preparation while fostering the necessary skills to adapt.

Being able to respond flexibly to situational challenges leads consumers to make savvier choices by embracing meal mutability and reducing dependence on rigid recipes.¹⁸ Short-term flexible moments add up to long-term adaptation, allowing households to become more resilient by learning how to make the most of what they have, no matter the curveballs life throws at them.

Regular Cleanouts

Moving the oldest items to the front of the fridge or pantry increases salience, helping keep these foods top-of-mind and biasing us to use them first. Still, householders may run into logistical challenges: limited space, accidentally purchasing an item that contains an allergen, or simply not being able to incorporate an ingredient before it goes bad.

Just because an item needs to go doesn’t mean it has to go to waste. Policymakers can encourage food donation for those nearly expired cans and other unopened goods that won’t otherwise be used.¹³ Some products are even suitable for donation after their “Best By” date has passed, despite many consumers misinterpreting these dates as a hard deadline for food safety.

Date labels on food and ambiguity around edibility create misconceptions in the minds of consumers. When they face confusion about what is acceptable to consume, they’d rather be safe than sorry. 

What’s in a Date?

“Best Before.” “Use By.” What does the date mean, anyway? Many consumers view date labels as a strict indicator of how long the food is safe to consume, and err on the side of caution by discarding food once the date has passed.¹³ While that may be the case for strict “Expiration” dates, such as those found on products like baby formula, “Best Before” invites consumers to draw their own conclusions about whether a product should be eaten, a message that may not be coming across. Governing bodies insist food items may still be eaten past their “Best By” dates, but not everyone feels prepared to make that judgment call.¹⁹ These dates also tend to correspond to how long the product will remain fresh while unopened, so consumers face additional uncertainty when assessing the freshness of open products. 

Sub-Optimal Foods Elicit Aversion

Without a date to judge whether a food may have gone bad, many individuals choose to discard food once it no longer meets household expectations. A wrinkly bell pepper or a blemish on a fruit may not indicate spoilage, but those who are more risk-averse weigh perceived health risks over potential environmental and financial savings.¹⁸ Just as householders are motivated to be good providers by purchasing and preparing enough for everyone, they are compelled to support the health of themselves and their family members, making them hesitant to embrace the edibility of sub-optimal foods.

The Blurry Line Between Edible and Inedible

When you’ve finished off the juicy red flesh of a watermelon, your next thought is probably “Where can I toss this rind out?” and not “Time to turn it into pickles!” Our brains make sense of the world by putting things into categories, such as edible and inedible. This leads to categorization bias, where our initial judgment of what category an item belongs to prevents us from being able to see it in a different light.

But the exact lines between these two categories remain unclear, influenced by cultural norms and personal preferences. When, for example, individuals in the UK were polled about their habits regarding eating carrot skins, their responses ranged widely, from “always” right down to “never.”²⁰ This inconsistency creates a headache even for those researching food waste, as it complicates the equation of how much is avoidable.

The fate of sub-optimal foods is not set in stone. Standards can be made more malleable as consumers gain confidence in judging the edibility of foods with better information and flexible thinking.

Save the Date 

Policymakers can act by standardizing and simplifying date labels based on guidelines from The Global Food Donation Policy Atlas, which recommends a dual date labeling scheme that includes both a safety- and quality-based label.¹³ A safety-based label, such as “Use By,” could protect consumers from potential danger, while a quality-based label, like “Best Before,” informs them of the period during which the product retains its highest quality, after which people can use their best judgment about whether it should be consumed. Paired with educational interventions informing consumers about how to interpret labels, increased clarity can minimize the automatic disposal of food once the date has passed.

Updating Standards

Encouraging consumers to treat date labels as approximate and to use their sensory cues, like smell or appearance, allows them to reclaim the edibility of food and regain a sense of agency.¹⁸ By asking another household member to weigh in on whether a sub-optimal food should be consumed, individuals receive further assurance and can more confidently choose to prevent the item from being wasted. This approach should be limited to lower-risk foods, while items like meat and cooked rice carry a greater risk of foodborne illness and require more caution.

Oddly enough, food retailers can boost purchases of aesthetically-flawed produce by pointing out the obvious and labeling them as “ugly.”²¹ When paired with a moderate (but not steep) price reduction, this acknowledgment of imperfection reinforces that the flaws are only skin-deep, and cosmetic defects are no reason to overlook or discard otherwise perfect produce.

From Trash to Treasure

Reclaiming the edibility of food means taking a second glance at the parts of food that would normally be discarded. Canadian recipe blogger and cookbook author Carleigh Bodrug shares plant-based “scrappy cooking” recipes with her audience, inspiring them to turn juice pulp into muffins and sweet potato skins into nachos. While our brains might initially see these scraps as destined for the trash, framing them instead as ingredients opens up a world of opportunity for tasty experimentation, with the dual benefit of lowering waste and reducing household costs.

It’s true that single interventions used in isolation might not pack enough of a punch to drive behavior change. But, a systematic review of household food waste interventions found that multi-component interventions, such as providing information on food waste along with a nudge to reduce portion size, led to the greatest reductions in waste.²²

Unintended consequences of food waste interventions may include pushing consumers toward purchasing processed foods that are less likely to spoil before consumption, but are worse for their health.²³ Messaging should be clear in stating that the objective isn’t to buy less fresh food, but to eat more of what is purchased. When it comes to sub-optimal foods or those whose “Best Before” date has passed, illness is a real risk. Consumers should understand the stakes and not feel pressured to consume foods that they feel uneasy about.

Not all food waste can be repurposed for consumption, nor can households be forced to eat everything they buy. This is where effective food waste management strategies come in to recuperate some of the losses by implementing food recycling programs. 

There is no single silver bullet solution that will take us to net-zero waste. Cultural attitudes about food and individual differences in preferences and circumstances will continue to shape how food becomes waste. To maximize impact, interventions must be tailored to their audiences, offering not just awareness campaigns but also practical tools and resources that build skills and confidence.

When choices regarding food purchasing, preparation, and consumption revolve around issues of identity and safety, it’s not easy to shake things up. But proven interventions can move the needle—like the UK’s “Love Food Hate Waste” campaign run by the Waste and Resources Action Programme, which saw a 13% decrease in food loss and waste nationwide over a five-year period.²³

For many consumers, food waste feels unfortunate but inevitable. As they balance numerous responsibilities and priorities, managing the flow of food through their household can feel like an afterthought. But behavioral interventions can transform guilt about waste into agency by making careful planning and preparation the norm, encouraging oversight and fostering flexibility, and reframing how people think about date labels and edibility.

Far from being fixed, the processes by which food becomes waste can be disrupted with greater awareness and updated mindsets. At The Decision Lab, we bring behavioral science expertise to wide-ranging challenges, from encouraging healthier food choices to transforming agriculture. Contact us today to discover how we can assist you in achieving sustainability and driving lasting change.

How Smaller Plates Reduced Hotel Food Waste by 20%

Beyond the household, tackling restaurant food waste requires its own tailored approach. In collaboration with a hotel chain, researchers tested how two interventions impacted food waste in hotel restaurants: smaller plate sizes and signage encouraging patrons to return to the buffet for additional helpings rather than serving themselves more food at the start. 

Nudging Can Encourage Sustainable Food Choices

We’ve seen how nudges can lead consumers to limit waste, but what about guiding them to make more sustainable food swaps? In this article, Dr. Jolien Vandenbroele discusses her research exploring how the placement of plant-based meat substitutes affects consumers’ likelihood of opting for the more environmentally friendly choice.

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