What a Waste: Effects of Food Consumption Choices and Traffic Light Labelling on Disposal

• In Event: 7.16 Consumer Well-Being, Sustainability and CSR

Short Abstract

The large amount of food wasted by consumers suggests a mismatch between consumers’ planned consumption decisions and their actual consumption behavior. We show that food waste occurs when consumers impulsively prefer unhealthy vice foods over healthy virtue foods initially chosen, and that traffic lights aggravate rather than mitigate food waste.

Authors

• Marit Drijfhout, University of Groningen, The Netherlands

• Jenny van Doorn, University of Groningen, The Netherlands

• Koert van Ittersum, University of Groningen, The Netherlands