IFIC Spotlight Survey: Consumer Behaviors & Perceptions Of Food Waste
September 17, 2019
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Food waste is a pressing public health issue. The United Nations estimates about a third of food that is produced annually is wasted each year, which could mean that over one billion tons of food ends up in landfills. But some people may not understand how much food they waste, or know where they are most likely to create food waste, or be familiar with practical steps they can take to reduce their food waste.
The International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation commissioned an online research survey with consumers based in the US to measure knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about food waste. One thousand adults aged 18+ years completed the survey from August 13-14, 2019, and responses were weighted to ensure proportional results.
Key findings include:
- When asked to choose the top three types of food that were most often wasted at home in the last month, 74 percent reported leftovers of foods prepared at home were most often wasted. A close second source of waste was produce (67 percent), while leftovers from restaurants ranked third (50 percent).
- 83 percent reported spoiled or stale food as the most common reason foods ended up in the trash. Forty-nine percent reported their top reason was cleaning out the pantry.
- More than one in three (34 percent) always think about food waste while grocery shopping and more than one in four (28 percent) said the same when eating at home. Conversely, 24 percent and 22 percent said that food waste never crosses their mind while grocery shopping or while eating at home, respectively.
- Those 45 years and younger are more likely to think about food waste while grocery shopping, eating out and eating at home.
- However, food waste doesn’t appear to be as much on consumers’ minds when eating outside the home. Fewer than one in five (19 percent) report always thinking about food waste while eating out and nearly two in five (39 percent) say they never think about it.