Feel Sorry for the Cake in Trash? The Effect of Food Types on Consumers’ Food Waste Perceptions

Over 30% of all the food produced in the US is wasted (US EPA 2010). The average US household generates food waste that costs up to $2,275 annually (Bloom 2011). Food waste presents a significant environmental concern, but a dearth of studies has investigated the psychology of food waste. To our knowledge, no prior study has examined how food types affect the perception of food waste. We propose that consumers deal with food waste with a varying degree of cognitive and affective reactions, depending on the types of food wasted (virtue and vice, Wertenbroch 1998) and food consumption goals (taste and health). Having a better understanding of how consumers perceive food waste and related feelings will help reduce food waste and help consumers improve their food consumption decisions both before the purchase and after the consumption.