Household food consumption management to reduce food waste: empirical evidence of Thailand and Indonesia

Thailand and Indonesia have the same problem in food waste (FW) production. In addition, the COVID pandemic changed household consumption patterns, one of them being due to changes in the online learning system for students. FW could be reduced through food consumption management (FCM). The research aimed to analyze FCM in students’ households from Srinakharinwirot University, Thailand (SWU) and Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia (UGM). The sample of this study is 394 SWU students’ households and 396 UGM students’ households. The data collection used questionnaires, focus group discussions, and in-depth interview documents. Subsequently, we measured the statements using a 5-point Likert scale related to planning, providing, preparation, serving/processing, storage, and FW disposal/utilization. In data analysis, descriptive statistics, including mean data, between UGM and SWU, were compared using the Z test. There are four variables in both the cases of SWU and UGM, which are in the same category, namely, very good. These are Planning, Providing, Serving/Processing, and FW Disposal/Utilization variables. Within the variables of FCM, the top three indicators showing high average scores can be used for the proposal of the FCM conceptual framework to support the SWU and UGM households’ responsible consumption as the 12th Sustainable Development Goal.