Frugal habits, not quick fixes, key to tackling global food waste, study finds

Household food waste, government targets, supermarket campaigns and consumer elbows are better reduced by promoting sustainable frugality habits and not in the short term, according to new research from the University of Portsmouth.

The study, published in Quality and preference for foodTested if the use of subtle signals such as words or images to encourage people to “save” or “reuse” – known as frugal priming – may influence the behavior of food waste.

95 The participants were exposed to frugal or materialist prompts before completing a food economy task. The researchers found no significant effect on frugal priming on the participants’ desire to avoid waste. Instead, the strongest predictor of food behavior of food was the usual frugality – the long -standing trend of individuals to preserve resources and to avoid unnecessary purchases.

The study also revealed that people with high frugal tendencies were less influenced by materialist signals, which once increased waste in participants suffering from low frugality.

“Our results suggest that fast boosts and priming indices are not enough to change food waste behavior,” said Steven Iorfa, principal author and doctorate. Research student at the University of Portsmouth. “These are daily frugal habits rooted and people who make the real difference.”

Research occurs at a time of enormous world challenges. The organization of United Nations food and agriculture estimates that a third of all foods produced for human consumption is lost or wasted, while more than 2.3 billion people were faced with food insecurity in 2023. The world’s population providing for 9.6 billion by 2050, waste reduction is considered vital for food security, environmental sustainability and the achievement of sustainable development objectives United Nations.

Research results raise questions about the effectiveness of current interventions such as awareness campaigns or boosts of the restaurant menu. While previous studies suggest that frugal messaging could slow down waste, new research indicates that such strategies can only work if they use pre -existing frugal values.

Instead, the authors argue that decision -makers and activists should focus on the culture of long -term cultural norms around frugality, for example, through education, community commitment and policies that go beyond materialism.

“Frugality is more than a budgetary tactic,” said Steven Iorfa. “It is a state of mind that encourages people to see waste as incompatible with their values. If we want a lasting change, we must promote frugality as a social norm, and not only on punctual prompts.”

The study stresses that the reduction of food waste is not simply a question of regulation or awareness of consumers, but of a deeper change of behavior. By integrating frugality into everyday life, according to researchers, companies may have a better chance of reducing the billions of tons of food in the world each year.