What influences consumer food waste behaviour when ordering food online? An application of the extended theory of planned behaviour

Abstract

In the search to mitigate food waste in households and restaurants, consumer food waste behaviour has been the focus of many investigations. However, exploration of consumer food waste behaviour in online food delivery (OFD) settings has to receive limited attention. This study aims to understand the antecedents of food waste behaviour in OFD settings by applying the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) with Food-related Factors as an additional construct. An online survey provided quantitative data from 520 participants representatively distributed in age and gender from 7 cities geographically spread across China. It was found (1) the average frequency for consumers wasting OFD food was ‘rarely’ to ‘occasionally’; (2) the extended TPB model was useful in predicting consumer food waste behaviour in OFD settings; (3) an intention of not wasting food had a significant negative effect on food waste behaviour; (4) attitudes and perceived behavioural control positively affected the intention of not wasting food; and (5) Food-related Factors had a significant negative effect on intention of not wasting food. This is the first empirical study to apply the TPB to the OFD context in China and confirm its applicability. We conclude that measures to promote OFD food waste reduction behaviour may best take effect via education and campaigns to increase individuals’ attitudes and intention of not wasting food and prominently displaying food-related information and portion sizes on OFD platforms.