Determinants of household food waste behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran: an integrated model

Abstract

In response to the increasing global concerns about food waste and its effects on human communities, the present study aims to identify food waste behavior antecedents for households during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. An integrated framework was proposed grounded on the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Protection Motivation Theory. Based on a survey with 405 respondents, the underlying determinants of food waste behavior among Iranian households were identified and data were analyzed with Covariance based Structural Equation Modeling. In this study, perceived behavioral control, attitude, and coping appraisal were found to impact households’ intention to reduce food waste positively. Conversely, subjective norms and threat appraisal were not found to positively impact such intention. Furthermore, a slight negative effect of the intention to reduce food waste on this FW reduction behavior was observed. The threat of COVID-19 infection did not influence consumers’ intention to reduce food waste, nor did the opinion of close friends and family. This study fills a theoretical research gap in food waste behavioral studies by proposing a novel integrated framework based on the Protection Motivation Theory, which is deemed suitable under high-risk contexts such as pandemics. Moreover, the results provide relevant implications for managers, policymakers, and future research.