Reducing consumer level food waste through message framing: A systematic review and social marketing interventions

Abstract

Food waste is characterised as a complex, wicked and multi-faceted problem with adverse environmental, social and economic implications. One way of addressing this challenge is to enhance the effectiveness of messages employed to promote food waste reduction behaviour. This study reviews literature on message frames employed to address the problem of food waste at consumption settings such as households, restaurants and hotels. A systematic literature review of quantitative, qualitative and mixed method studies focusing on consumer level food waste reduction was conducted. With the aid of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework, 33 studies published between 2015 and 2024 were reviewed. Thematic content analysis was used to conduct data analysis. The use of multiple food waste reduction message frames was identified as a growing trend, although there is lack of consensus on the best integration approach. The effectiveness of food reduction message frames was found to be influenced by differences in consumers’ construal levels, message design, behaviour inducements and consumption context. Messages that blame consumers for wasting food were found to have a backfiring effect that triggers resistance to engage in food waste reduction initiatives. The results of this study underscore the importance of developing an integrated social marketing communication intervention that incorporates multiple message frames. The prevalence of different construal levels associated with food waste affirms the role of segmentation, targeting and positioning in the development of food waste reduction intervention programmes.