Clear your plate! the impact of cultural values and social influences on intention to reduce food waste among Malaysian consumers

Abstract

Food waste is a global challenge to sustainable development. Nevertheless, there is insufficient research on the issue at the consumption stage, especially in developing countries (e.g., Malaysia). To effectively ameliorate food waste, it is crucial to understand how internal cultural values and external social influences affect food waste reduction. Drawing upon 345 Malaysian respondents, this study finds that religiosity, subjective norm, information publicity and personal norm have important effects on consumers’ intention to reduce food waste. However, materialism does not significantly influence consumers’ food waste behaviour, which is inconsistent with prior research. These findings advanced our understanding of food waste among Malaysian consumers, which provides insights to governments and NGOs on how to solve the food waste challenge.