Automaticity in household food management: Examining the role of habits in food waste generation

Current approaches to reduce food waste typically assume that food management behaviour is deliberate, despite suggestions that these behaviours may largely be habitual. Habits are cue-behaviour associations which automatically trigger behaviour upon encountering a cue, operating largely outside of conscious awareness. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of habits in food waste, through a systematic literature review and two cross-sectional studies. The systematic review reveals a significant gap in the understanding of habits: in the context of food waste, very few studies have examined habits as a type of automaticity, instead conceptualising habits as patterns of behaviour (i.e., exclusively focusing on frequency of behaviour). The first cross-sectional study (n = 758) shows why this distinction matters, as a majority of the 69 investigated food management behaviours are experienced as automatic by respondents, but not all frequently performed behaviours are automatic. The second cross-sectional study (n = 586) establishes a relationship between a specific habit (leftover saving) and a reduced likelihood of wasting any food, as well as a marginally significant relationship between this habit and reduced amounts of food waste. These studies highlight the importance of habits in food waste research. This can inspire intervention design, as habits require different intervention strategies than deliberate actions.