TY - JOUR

T1 - Consumer Behaviour and Food Waste

T2 - Understanding and Mitigating Waste with a Technology Probe

AU - Jones-Garcia, Eliot

AU - Bakalis, Serafim

AU - Flintham, Martin

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Globally, nearly one third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted. This equals a total of 1.3. billion tonnes per year, which is a large, unnecessary burden for the environment and the economy. Research and development have delivered a wealth of resources for understanding food waste, yet little is known about where food wasting occurs in the home. The study begins with a literature review of articles that deal with food waste and consumer behaviour, reflecting on their definition of 'waste', approach, findings and recommendations. Having noticed a lack of convergence in the literature, and an absence of research into digital technologies for the study of food waste, the potential for incorporating novel technology probe methodologies is explored. Building on the proliferation of internet of things devices, the 'smart bin' is introduced as an effective intervention for making visible routine household food wasting practices. These data were then triangulated with user interviews, leading to an enriched qualitative discussion and revealing drivers and mitigators of waste. This paper concludes with some reflections on the smart bin as a domestic product and how it might synthesise previous understandings of consumer behaviour, leading to better informed food waste policies and initiatives.

AB - Globally, nearly one third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted. This equals a total of 1.3. billion tonnes per year, which is a large, unnecessary burden for the environment and the economy. Research and development have delivered a wealth of resources for understanding food waste, yet little is known about where food wasting occurs in the home. The study begins with a literature review of articles that deal with food waste and consumer behaviour, reflecting on their definition of 'waste', approach, findings and recommendations. Having noticed a lack of convergence in the literature, and an absence of research into digital technologies for the study of food waste, the potential for incorporating novel technology probe methodologies is explored. Building on the proliferation of internet of things devices, the 'smart bin' is introduced as an effective intervention for making visible routine household food wasting practices. These data were then triangulated with user interviews, leading to an enriched qualitative discussion and revealing drivers and mitigators of waste. This paper concludes with some reflections on the smart bin as a domestic product and how it might synthesise previous understandings of consumer behaviour, leading to better informed food waste policies and initiatives.

KW - smart bin

KW - human computer interaction

KW - internet of things

KW - social practice

KW - BIG DATA

KW - HOUSEHOLD

KW - CONSUMPTION

KW - PREVENTION

KW - BARRIERS

KW - DRIVERS

KW - MOTIVATIONS

KW - MANAGEMENT

KW - REDUCTION

KW - FRAMEWORK

U2 - 10.3390/foods11142048

DO - 10.3390/foods11142048

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35885290

VL - 11

JO - Foods

JF - Foods

SN - 2304-8158

IS - 14

M1 - 2048

ER -