Wasted Positive Intentions: The Role of Affection and Abundance on Household Food Waste
Open accessAbstract
This qualitative study, grounded theory oriented, identifies familial affection and preference for abundance as major drivers of wasted food in lower-middle income American families. These positive intentions provide an improved understanding of household food waste, a problem with high environmental impact and moral implications. Based on empirical data collected with twenty caregivers via in-depth interviews, observations, and analysis of photos, this study provides novel explanations, such as on how stockpiling comfort foods in abundance – a form of both boosting positive self-emotions and showing affection for kids – can promote more wasted food. Other antecedents identified include multiplicity of choices, convenience, procrastination and unplanned routines. In sum, this research identifies a negative outcome of affection and food abundance in the family context, while providing a theoretically relevant general framework to help understand the food waste phenomenon. Authors suggest increasing the awareness of nutritional gatekeepers through behavioral economics principles.
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A 'compensation effect' can occur when people usually eat meals that are perceived as unhealthy, and in order to mitigate guilt they buy an abundance of healthy and perishable food which in turn is often wasted.
“Additionally, a 'compensation effect' can occur when people usually eat meals that are perceived as unhealthy, and in order to mitigate guilt they buy an abundance of healthy and perishable food which in turn is often wasted (Porpino et al., 2016).”
From Food waste matters - A systematic review of household food waste practices and their policy implications (2018) · cites this paper as Porpino et al., 2016
The 'good provider identity' appears to be an important reason for food waste in both qualitative and quantitative studies.
“First, the 'good provider identity', which refers to the wish to be a 'good' parent or a 'good' partner, appears to be an important reason for food waste in both qualitative (Evans, 2011a;Graham-Rowe et al., 2014;Porpino et al., 2016) and quantitative (Visschers et al., 2016) studies.”
From Food waste matters - A systematic review of household food waste practices and their policy implications (2018) · cites this paper as Porpino et al., 2016
Interventions that place a household's food waste level in relation to societal averages or a socially-endorsed goal (benchmarking) result in stronger norm activation.
“Finally, interventions that place a household's food waste level in relation to societal averages or a socially-endorsed goal (benchmarking) result in stronger norm activation (Porpino et al., 2016).”
From Food waste matters - A systematic review of household food waste practices and their policy implications (2018) · cites this paper as Porpino et al., 2016
Cites
Spaghetti soup: The complex world of food waste behaviours
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Identifying motivations and barriers to minimising household food waste
Graham-Rowe, E., Jessop, D. C., & Sparks, P. (2014) · Resources, Conservation and Recycling · doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.12.005 · Cited by 764 · see citing works
Avoiding food waste by Romanian consumers: The importance of planning and shopping routines
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Buzby, J. C., Farah-Wells, H., & Hyman, J. (2014) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.2501659 · Cited by 575 · see citing works
Evans, D. (2012) · Sociology · doi:10.1177/0038038511416150 · Cited by 569 · see citing works
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Wasted Food: U.S. Consumers' Reported Awareness, Attitudes, and Behaviors
Neff, R. A., Spiker, M. L., & Truant, P. L. (2015) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0127881 · Cited by 461 · see citing works
Food waste paradox: antecedents of food disposal in low income households
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Self-citationBrazilian Food: Race, Class and Identity in Regional Cuisines
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Schanes, K., Dobernig, K., & Gözet, B. (2018) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.02.030 · Cited by 1,365 · see citing works
“First, the ‘good provider identity’, which refers to the wish to be a ‘good’ parent or a ‘good’ partner, appears to be an important reason for food waste in both qualitative (Evans, 2011a; GrahamRowe et al., 2014; Porpino et al., 2016) and quantitative (Visschers et al.”
BackgroundInfluentialReynolds, C., Goucher, L., Quested, T., Bromley, S., Gillick, S., Wells, V. K., Evans, D., Koh, L., Carlsson Kanyama, A., Katzeff, C., et al. (2019) · Food Policy · doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2019.01.009 · Cited by 487 · see citing works
The household wasteful behaviour framework: A systematic review of consumer food waste
Principato, L., Mattia, G., Di Leo, A., & Pratesi, C. A. (2021) · Industrial Marketing Management · doi:10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.07.010 · Cited by 290 · see citing works
Aschemann-Witzel, J., Giménez, A., & Ares, G. (2018) · Global Environmental Change · doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2018.02.002 · Cited by 134 · see citing works
Creating resilient interventions to food waste: aligning and leveraging systems and design thinking
Lake, D., McFarland, A., & Vogelzang, J. (2020) · Food Waste Management · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-20561-4_8 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
- Authors
- Porpino, G., Wansink, B., & Parente, J.
- Affiliations
- Embrapa (BR)
- Cornell University (US)
- Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (BR)
- Corresponding author
- Porpino, Gustavo
- Venue
- Journal of Food Products Marketing
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2016-06-07
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 733-751
- ISSN
- 1045-4446 (ISSN-L)
- 1540-4102
- OpenAlex
- W2298284734
- Cited by
- 109
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 12.60
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- papers.ssrn.com
- Locations
- Journal of Food Products Marketing (publishedVersion)
- SSRN Electronic Journal (submittedVersion)
- Americanae (AECID Library) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- Cornell Food and Brand Lab (CU121-3314)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations
- Keywords
- household food waste, food abundance, food hoarding, comfort food, caregivers, positive emotions, procrastination, convenience, behavioral economics
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