Food waste and influencing factors in event-related consumptions: Taking wedding banquet as an example

Abstract

Event-related food consumption is an indispensable part of Chinese food culture and event-related food waste is a serious issue in China. According to a survey of catering industry in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Lhasa in 2015, food waste of event-related consumption was larger than that of nonevent-related consumption, respectively 95.43 g and 59.28 g per capita per meal. Event-related food waste varied in different regions. According to the survey, event-related food waste in Chengdu was the largest, which was 101.20 g per capita per meal. Furthermore, event-related food waste was related to the types of event, and gatherings of friends generated the largest amount of food waste, which was 103.61 g per capita per meal. This research focused on a typical form of the event-related consumption—wedding banquet—in Beijing. Primary data about wedding banquets was collected from September 2015 to November 2016. The research shows that food waste in wedding banquets was much larger than that in general even-related food consumption, with the amount of 295.32 g and 144.27 g per capita per meal respectively in wedding banquets with and without ceremony. Meat and aquatic products were in a high proportion in wedding banquet food waste, which was respectively 22.05% and 20.96%. This is much higher than that in general event-related consumption, which was 15.93% and 8.57% respectively based on the 2015 four-city survey. Food waste in wedding banquets is influenced by regional differences, income levels, "face", and food packages. To decrease food waste in wedding banquets, efforts from the national policy level, the society, food industry associations, and consumers are required. People should initiate a sustainable way of planning wedding banquets, with balanced nutrition and less food waste.