Household food waste in selected Central European countries

Abstract

This article aims to indicate similarities and differences in consumer attitudes and behaviours in relation to household food waste in three selected EU member states: Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The analysis in this study suggests that the key reasons for wasting food in households in all three countries include food spoilage and exceeding the expiry date. Managing surplus food by preparing other dishes was a solution reported twice as frequently for women as for men. This tendency was present in the surveyed group of households in all three countries. In households run by younger people, food was thrown away twice as often as in those managed by people over 65. The solution that involved giving away surplus groceries was definitely more frequently used by households located in rural areas. There were statistically significant differences between the analysed countries in terms of the shopping methods used.