Preliminary assessment of food waste generation in households in Greece

According to Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC), waste prevention are the measures taken before a substance, material or product has become waste, that reduce the quantity of waste, the adverse impacts of the generated waste on environmental and human health or the content of harmful substances. Food waste is among the priority topics for waste prevention initiatives. Food waste occurs in nearly every household throughout the year. The amount of edibles discarded depends on several factors with varying significance for each household. For instance, socio-demographic backgrounds as well as consumption patterns or cooking habits are likely to influence the magnitude of food discarded. Food waste reduction is known to have a very large tonnage diversion potential, as it is the largest single waste stream in the municipal solid waste, while wasted food accounts for significant greenhouse gas emissions and consumer expenditure.

Further authors: Athanassia Papakosta Department of Home Economics and Ecology, Harokopio University, Greece

In order to account for the attitudes and behaviours of households in Greece towards food waste generation and prevention, a preliminary research was conducted. The research took place via the use of a structured questionnaire in the greater Athens area during February and March of 2012. The participants were selected randomly. The aim of our research was:
• To identify the attitudes of the respondents regarding food waste and food waste reduction.
• To identify certain consumer behaviour practices that can yield to the reduction of food that is thrown away
• To explore the effect that the sociodemographic variables have on the attitudes and the behaviour of the households on the generation as well as the prevention of food waste
The main results of our study indicate that 45% of the respondents replied that the amount of food that they throw away is small. More than half of those who said that they throw food away replied that they are very much disturbed by this fact and they try hard to avoid it. In terms of the amount of food waste, six out of ten of the respondents replied that it is less than the respective amount 12 months ago. Based on the responses, the main reason for that is the financial recession that Greece is facing.
Regarding their shopping habits aiming at reducing the amount of food waste generated, six out of ten replied that they are compiling a list before going for food shopping while one in two replied that they buy only what is necessary. This conservative behaviour is altered during the holiday periods: seven out of ten respondents replied that they cook a larger amount of food. However, more than 80% of them replied that they keep the extra amount of food and consume it in the days that follow. A major source of food waste is resulting from the food products that they are past their expiration dates. Our results indicate that milk, eggs and cheese are the items that consumers are very conscious about their expiration date since our results indicate that more than 80% of the respondents always check their expiration date. On the other hand, fruits are the food items that consumers are careless regarding their expiration date and thus it is more probable to be thrown away.
In conclusion, even though the research is still at its early stages, the preliminary results indicate that people in Greece have positive attitudes towards food waste prevention and that their habits, driven to a large extent by the financial recession, are close to the literature suggestions for reducing food waste generation. The results generated by this research will be of paramount importance since this research is the first one conducted in Greece in the field of food waste.



Copyright: © European Compost Network ECN e.V.
Quelle: Orbit 2012 (Juni 2012)
Seiten: 8
Preis: € 8,00
Autor: Dr. Konstadinos Abeliotis
Dr. Katia Lasaridi
Christina Chroni
 
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