Investigating the determinants of food wastage in Pakistan: A study of consumer-related food waste
Abstract/Description
Food waste is a critical component of greenhouse gases and environmental concerns. Hence researchers from around the world have invested ample amounts of time and money to explore ways of reducing it. However, in Asian countries, especially developing ones like Pakistan, the initial research to understand food waste as consumer behavior is lacking in academic literature. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to explore and identify the key factors that relate to food waste on a consumer, and household level. Research shows that food waste is seen as a common problem in Pakistani society as 36 million tons of food is wasted each year credited to the big traditional weddings, parties, hotels, and households’ hoarding behavior. Making the theory of planned behavior the premise of the study, factors like consumer’s moral attitude, social norm, perceived behavioral control, financial behavior, and shopping behaviors are tested as independent variables while the extent of food wastage behavior is the dependent variable. The study also uses demographic factors such as age, gender, educational status, and household composition as controlled variables. Using quantitative analysis through IBM SPSS, the study surveyed 396 Pakistanis and found that social norms, consumer moral attitudes, and financial behavior are significantly contributing to food waste behavior in society.
Keywords
Food Waste, Consumer Buying Behavior, Shopping Habits, Theory of Planned Behavior, Sustainability, Perceived Behavioral Control, Consumer Attitude
Track
Marketing
Session Number/Theme
Session 1A: Marketing
Session Chair
Dr. Huma Amir ; Dr. Asim Shabbir
Start Date/Time
26-5-2023 2:45 PM
End Date/Time
26-5-2023 4:45 PM
Location
MCS-5, Aman-CED, Second Floor, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi
Recommended Citation
Bhimani, R. H., & Lalwani, A. (2023). Investigating the determinants of food wastage in Pakistan: A study of consumer-related food waste. 3rd IBA SBS International Conference 2024. Retrieved from https://ir.iba.edu.pk/sbsic/2023/program/3
COinS
Investigating the determinants of food wastage in Pakistan: A study of consumer-related food waste
MCS-5, Aman-CED, Second Floor, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi
Food waste is a critical component of greenhouse gases and environmental concerns. Hence researchers from around the world have invested ample amounts of time and money to explore ways of reducing it. However, in Asian countries, especially developing ones like Pakistan, the initial research to understand food waste as consumer behavior is lacking in academic literature. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to explore and identify the key factors that relate to food waste on a consumer, and household level. Research shows that food waste is seen as a common problem in Pakistani society as 36 million tons of food is wasted each year credited to the big traditional weddings, parties, hotels, and households’ hoarding behavior. Making the theory of planned behavior the premise of the study, factors like consumer’s moral attitude, social norm, perceived behavioral control, financial behavior, and shopping behaviors are tested as independent variables while the extent of food wastage behavior is the dependent variable. The study also uses demographic factors such as age, gender, educational status, and household composition as controlled variables. Using quantitative analysis through IBM SPSS, the study surveyed 396 Pakistanis and found that social norms, consumer moral attitudes, and financial behavior are significantly contributing to food waste behavior in society.
