What influences students’ food waste behaviour in campus canteens?

Abstract

Purpose

Reducing food waste is one of the critical challenges of campus canteens. This study aims to test an extended theory of planned behaviour that incorporates moral norm, food taste and campus food-saving climate to understand the influence factors of food waste behaviour on campuses.

Design/methodology/approach

To evaluate the proposed model, an online survey was utilized to collect 513 valid questionnaires.

Findings

The findings suggest that (1) attitudes towards food waste, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control have a significant influence on intention to reduce food waste; (2) Moral norm and food taste are shown to have a favourable effect on the intention to reduce food waste; (3) Food waste behaviour is significantly determined by intention to reduce food waste; (4) Campus food-saving climate negatively moderates the relationship between intention to reduce food waste and food waste behaviour.

Originality/value

This study paves the way to enhance the understanding of the factors of food waste among college students. In addition, this study develops practical strategies to prevent large amounts of food from being wasted on campus.

Citation

Wang, H., Ma, B., Cudjoe, D., Farrukh, M. and Bai, R. (2023), "What influences students’ food waste behaviour in campus canteens?", British Food Journal, Vol. 125 No. 2, pp. 381-395. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-10-2021-1103