Eco-Minded Consumers Waste More Food Than Those Focused on Healthy Eating, Shows Study

People who are more focused on nutrition tend to waste less food than those who are eco-conscious, according to a new study.

The most effective way to get people to waste less food is not to push them to be sustainable, but to encourage them to eat healthily.

That’s according to a new study by researchers at the University of Adelaide, which surveyed the food choice drivers of over 1,000 Australians to find a paradox around food waste behaviours.

“Nutrition-conscious consumers waste less food, partly due to better planning and shopping behaviours, while sustainability consciousness does not significantly reduce food waste,” they write in the Resources, Conservation and Recycling journal.

It highlights the need for a shift in how policymakers, businesses and stakeholders approach consumer awareness about food waste, with healthy eating habits a better lever than sustainability messaging.

Health-led consumers plan groceries and buy less

Participants were asked several questions about the factors that drive their food purchasing decisions. This included whether products are healthy, nutritious, rich in micronutrients, locally grown, packaged sustainably, and more.

They were then asked if they felt leftovers or foods past their use-by dates can be risky, if they plan their meals and make shopping lists before heading to the grocery store, if they feel they buy too much food, and how important health and sustainability are to them. The researchers further queried how much food they throw away, and their awareness about its impact on the planet.

The study found that when nutrition is high on the priority list, people waste food less. This is because these consumers plan their grocery run and limit over-purchasing more than others. For instance, they’ll only buy what they need or loan meals around their nutritional requirements, avoiding impulse purchases, which have positive – albeit “but likely unintended” – outcomes for food waste.

“Nutrition-conscious consumers may engage in better meal planning and more deliberate shopping, which has a flow-on effect on reducing food waste,” the study states. Each one-point increase on the authors’ nutrition scale was associated with a 17.6% reduction in food waste.

In contrast, consumers who prioritise sustainability suffer from an action-intention gap. While these consumers might like shopping locally and avoiding excessive packaging, and be more aware of upstream issues in the food industry, this “may not necessarily translate into concrete actions” that lower food waste, the authors explain.

“Sustainability orientation may be biased towards sustainability elements associated with the supply chain and not towards sustainability elements associated with consumer behaviours (namely, food planning, purchase, use and disposal),” the study says.

So while eco-minded consumers may have good intentions, they lack the strategies to effectively convert them into action. “These findings highlight the need for integrated interventions that align sustainability goals with healthy eating habits to drive more effective food waste reduction,” write the researchers.

Position sustainability as a bonus, not the main benefit

The study highlights a disconnect between purchasing choices and food waste, outlining how governments and public campaigns can shift their messaging to help divert more food from landfill.

The trick, it suggests, is to integrate nutrition planning efforts with how people shop for groceries, which could offer the “dual benefits” of healthier eating and lower food waste. “Consumers need nutritional guidance and practical support to access and utilise sustainable and nutritious food options effectively,” the authors write.

For eco-conscious consumers, education campaigns should highlight the downstream environmental effects of food choices and provide concrete strategies and tools to align their sustainability concerns with food waste reduction behaviours. This could include meal planning apps and shopping lists.

The researchers invoke the phrase “health affects oneself, and sustainability is a bonus” to advocate for a mindset where personal wellbeing takes precedence and planetary health is an added benefit. “If sustainability efforts are integrated with strategies that promote healthy eating and enhance food management skills – such as meal planning, portion control, and proper storage – both individual health and environmental benefits can be maximised,” the study states.

For households, the key is to plan ahead, resist impulse purchases and buy only what’s on your list, store food properly, and use what you have first.

Food waste accounts for up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, a majority of which comes from households. A billion meals are thrown out every day, resulting in $1T in economic losses, though that too is a conservative estimate.

Cutting food waste is one of the easiest climate wins for individuals, though research shows that the impact would be minimal without policy support. In fact, it is the pro-climate behaviour that benefits most from government intervention.

However, most policies have struggled to truly change consumer behaviour, and based on this latest study, this could likely be because their main focus is on sustainability. Tweaking that messaging to put health and nutrition at the top could accelerate the shift.