The leading motivations for waste reduction were saving money and setting an example for children, with environmental concerns ranked last. Three-quarters of respondents said they discard less food than the average American. The survey found widespread (self-reported) awareness of wasted food as an issue, efforts to reduce it, and knowledge about how to do so, plus moderately frequent performance of waste-reducing behaviors. The survey was administered online to members of a nationally representative panel (N=1010), and post-survey weights were applied. consumer awareness, attitudes and behaviors related to wasted food. To inform these efforts and provide baseline data to track change, we performed a survey of U.S. Globally, interventions to address wasted food have proliferated, but efforts are in their infancy in the U.S.
wastes 31 to 40% of its post-harvest food supply, with a substantial portion of this waste occurring at the consumer level.
