Methods
The main steps employed in this research included the following:
Review academic studies and existing initiatives on consumer behaviour change applied to the broader areas of environment and personal lifestyle changes;
Review national and international best practice on interventions, and the theoretical tools used, that specifically targeted a reduction in consumer food waste;
Through a series of interviews, compile expert insights to support the best practice reviews with information from practitioners on the practicalities of running interventions and on lessons learnt from previous work;
Based on the research carried out, and the input from national and international experts, design a number of food waste prevention interventions, linked to relevant existing theories, with associated data collection plans for quantification of the impact;
Implement the interventions as designed and assess their effectiveness with the quantitative and qualitative measurement methods identified;
Based on the results of the interventions, make recommendations for future policy and interventions in Ireland.
Main Findings
Informing policy: Household food waste generation is influenced by several socio-economic factors, behaviours and attitudes. Consequently, preventing food waste is multifaceted, nuanced and complex. Behaviour change interventions represent one way to address the issue; however, the findings from this research suggest a need to apply behavioural interventions designed to facilitate the implementation and development of food waste reduction policy. The FoodPath research team built upon the extensive work carried out under the EPA’s Stop Food Waste programme over the past decade and identified and implemented food waste prevention interventions based on best practices to encourage changes in consumer behaviour. The FoodPath interventions were analysed and evaluated to measure their impact on household food waste generation. The findings informed recommendations on facilitating behaviour change, providing pathways to achieve large-scale reductions in food waste volumes at the household level.
Developing solutions: This research investigated current state-of-the-art methodologies, at both national and international levels, to assess consumer behaviour change approaches and, more specifically, how these apply to food waste prevention. This review, coupled with interviews conducted with national and international practitioners, informed the development of two intervention models. Intervention A was designed to empower individuals to prevent and reduce food waste at the household level using tools, nudges and targeted messaging via their local waste collector. Intervention B took a broader approach and targeted the changing of social norms through community engagement via local stakeholders. The outcomes from intervention A suggest that it may be a viable and cost-efficient model for reducing household food waste. The quantitative results for intervention B show that it was not as successful. Nonetheless, the current extent of interest in community-led food waste initiatives suggests that this approach should be viewed as an important precursor, which, when coupled with other national awareness-raising campaigns, could amplify the impacts associated with the targeted approach developed in intervention A.
