Orbit 2012 11 15 June Harokopio University K. Abeliotis, K. Lasaridi, C. Chroni, A. Papakosta PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT of FOOD WASTE in HOUSEHOLDS in GREECE
Waste prevention: 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 & human health or the content of harmful substances. Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC Strict avoidance, reduction at source, reuse all forms of recycling are excluded [OECD, 2000]
Waste Framework Directive Hierarchy of waste management options
Food waste reduction Food waste is among the priority topics for waste prevention initiatives o Large tonnage diversion potential (the largest single waste stream in MSW) o Wasted food accounts for significant GHG emissions o Ethical issue, as 79 million EU citizens live beneath the poverty line
Background A large number of behaviours can have a positive impact on food waste generation and the efforts towards food waste prevention (based on WRAP, 2009) Meal planning Cupboard checking Shopping list Proper storage of food items Using leftovers Cooking the right amount of food Expiration data labels
Research objectives To account for the attitudes & behaviours of households in Greece towards food waste generation and prevention Structured questionnaire 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
Tool : a structured questionnaire Study area: the greater Athens area during February and March of 2012 Number of participants: 86 (randomly selected) - PRELIMINARY Information gathered: quantitative (kind & frequency of behaviours and habits that result in wasted food, reasons for those habits) and information about interrelated conditions (level of employment, age of household members) and behaviour (buying, cooking and diet habits). Methodology
RESULTS Demographic information Household characteristics % Employment status % Single 17.4 Full time job 65.1 Roommates 5.8 Part time job 3.5 Couple 15.1 Unemployed / student 3.5 Family (w/young children) 31.4 Freelancer 9.3 Family (all adults) 30.2 Retired 18.6 Home characteristics % Educational background % Single family home 25.6 Compulsory education 9.3 Apartment building 74.4 Secondary education 18.6 Own home 75.6 University 43.0 Rent home 24.4 Postgraduate studies 29.1 Age % 18-34 20.9 35-44 34.9 45-54 27.9 >55 15.3
RESULTS Attitudes regarding food waste Which of following actions yielded the reduction of food waste that is thrown away during the past 12 months? Actions % I only buy food that is needed 54.4 I prepare carefully a weekly meal schedule 40.4 I try to buy food stuff, only after I consume whatever I have at home 40.4 I started cooking the leftovers from previous days 10.5 I estimate better the food portions that we consume 26.3 I buy more local/greek food products 17.5 I judge better how long it takes for a food item to rotten 10.5 I use better the food labels best before and expiration date 10.5 I make better use of the freezer 19.3 I make a list before going for food shopping 63.2 I check the cupboards at home before going for food shopping 52.6
RESULTS Attitudes regarding food waste Compare the current amount of uneaten food that is thrown away to the respective amount 12 months ago Decreased a lot: 45.3% Decreased a little: 20.9% Remained the same: 32.6%
RESULTS Attitudes regarding food waste Which of the adopted actions (previously reported) yielded the difference in amount of food that is thrown away? Checking the cupboards before going for food shopping (52.6%) Buying only the necessary food (54.4%) Making a list (63.2%)
RESULTS Attitudes regarding food waste Which was the driving force behind the actions described in the previous question? Financial recession ( >60%) Change in the consumer patterns Change towards a more environmentally friendly lifestyle
Where from are you buying food needed for everyday cooking? Other Internet Super market Organic open market Open market Local food store 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Yes No RESULTS Consumer behaviour towards fresh food products
To which extent are you buying the following items, offered in better prices because they are close to their expiration date? RESULTS Consumer behaviour towards fresh food products
Before buying food, which of the following are you doing? RESULTS Consumer behaviour towards fresh food products
A common practice in Greece is the cultivation of fruits, vegetables or both by consumers. Approximately 25% of the respondents mentioned that they have access to cultivated fresh fruits and/or vegetables. Of those, 29% have access to both fruits and vegetables, 17% to just vegetables while 4% have access to just fruits. These fruits and vegetables are coming mainly (56%) from cultivated land or small gardens (27%). RESULTS Consumer behaviour towards fresh food products
RESULTS Consumer habits during food storage How often do you check the expiration date? Milk, eggs and cheese are the items that consumers are very conscious about their expiration date (> 80% of the respondents always check their expiration date) Fruits are the food items that consumers are careless regarding their expiration date
RESULTS Consumer habits during food storage How often do you throw away food items which are past their best before date, but don t have any signs of deterioration?
RESULTS Food preparation at home How often are you 5-7 times / week Eating out or ordering delivery (%) Eating pre-cooked food (%) Eating the same food with all family members (%) Eating at home with friends (%) Taking food from parents (%) 3-4 times / week 1-2 times /week < 1 time / week Never 14.3 17.9 38.1 25.0 4.8 0.0 6.1 23.2 58.5 12.2 0.0 0.0 11.0 25.6 63.4 67.5 26.3 3.8 2.5 0.0 0.0 2.4 29.4 58.8 9.4 Cooking for others (%) 2.5 7.5 26.3 25.0 38.8
RESULTS Food preparation at home Which of the following sentences are representative of your behaviour during the holiday season?
RESULTS Food preparation at home How often do you discard cooked food from the following items?
RESULTS Food preparation at home When cooking or serving a meal, how often are you thinking that the portion size is too large?
The major disposal route for cooked food is the waste bin followed by its use as animal feed. For fruits and vegetables the major disposal route is again the waste bin. Regarding the food waste in liquid form, it ends up in the drain as expected. 90% of the respondents had never tried to compost any food waste. Of those who tried composting, the waste stream in focus was the leftovers from fruits and vegetables. RESULTS Food waste management
Conclusions People in Greece have positive attitudes towards food waste prevention 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 are of paramount importance since this research is the first one conducted in Greece in the field of food waste They will serve as a yardstick in order to establish and promote waste prevention activities for households
Conclusions Further exploration on the effect of the sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents on their attitudes and habits will be conducted to identify possible policy suggestions aiming at preventing food waste generation Positive environmental and financial results are expected in the household level overall waste management system in Greece
Orbit 2012 The research was supported by the LIFE10 ENV/GR/622 project Development and Demonstration of a Waste Prevention Support Tool for Local Authorities WASP Tool which is co-funded by the European Union LIFE+ programme. Thank you for your attention