Influence of Consumers’ Motivation, Opportunity and Ability in Leftover Food Management on Reducing Household Food Waste in Australia

Food waste poses a significant global challenge, with approximately one-third of all edible food wasted annually. In developed countries such as Australia, this issue is particularly acute at the household level, where consumer behaviour plays a major role. Within this context, leftover food stands out as a significant, yet underexplored, contributor to household food waste. Despite Australia’s adoption of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 to halve food waste by 2030, and the launch of the National Food Waste Strategy, current policy efforts largely centre on waste disposal through initiatives such as the Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) collection and composting, with comparatively little emphasis on waste prevention. The aim of this research is to address a critical knowledge and policy gap by investigating the behavioural, situational, and cognitive factors that influence leftover food management in Australian households. This study used a mixed-method research design based on the Motivation-Opportunity-Ability (MOA) framework. It utilises qualitative focus group discussions and quantitative analysis through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and Latent Class Analysis (LCA) to analyse household leftover food management. Focus group discussions with 15 households offered in-depth insights into the practical and psychological challenges of managing leftovers. An online survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 1,007 households to test the proposed theoretical relationships empirically. The findings reveal that consumers’ motivation strongly influences leftover food management at home, particularly through negative emotional responses to waste, heightened awareness of food waste levels, and concerns about the environmental and economic impacts of food waste. Abilities such as meal planning, efficient cooking, food inventory management, interpreting expiry dates, and food storage significantly enhance leftover food management, while contextual opportunities, such as time and access to infrastructure, show weaker but still relevant effects. Competing goals, such as prioritising food safety, health, and taste, diminish consumers’ focus on managing leftover food. There is considerable heterogeneity in the management of leftover food among consumers. The Latent Class Analysis identified four distinct consumer segments: ‘Efficient Savers’, who excel in meal planning and food storage; ‘Unplanned Eaters’, who have low motivation and skills in handling leftovers; ‘Aspirational Savers’, who aim to manage leftovers effectively but encounter challenges; and ‘Time-Savvy Planners’, who incorporate efficient food management into busy lifestyles. Socio-demographic factors, including age, gender, employment status, and household composition, significantly influence membership in these segments. It is recommended that future interventions and policies aimed at reducing household food waste consider psychographic and behavioural variations in consumer management of leftover food. Through these efforts, the ongoing challenge of household food waste, particularly avoidable waste such as leftovers, can be addressed more effectively.