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Abstract
Over the last decades, food waste has generated an immense amounts across the food life cycle, determining serious
environmental, social and economic issues. Reducing the amount of food waste is a key element in developing a
sustainable food system.The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlation between food waste and belief,
attitudes and behaviours at the household level so exploring its possible drivers among Italian consumers: how people
could reduce or avoid the amount of food waste is the main step for addressing the consumer behaviour and for
planning shopping routines. In effect avoidable food waste represents the majority of food waste generated at the
household level. The disposal of food is the final step in the food provisioning process (Munro, 1995) entailing a series
of food-related behaviours from purchasing food to preparing and eating it (Jensen et al., 2012). The Theory of
Planned Behavior (Ajzen,1991) helps to understanding how the people actions can be modified linking beliefs and
behaviour; this theory is our starting point to predict household decisions in order to avoid, to minimize or to recycle
waste (Biswa et al., 2000; Knussen et al., 2004) as well as to improve food-related behaviours (Conner & Armitage,
2002). To this end, an on-line survey was carried out via social networks and e-mail. A focus group and a pilot test with
12 Italian consumers were conducted to support the questionnaire design. 256 were respondents. Results are in line
with the studies on this research topics. The current study focuses on Italian consumers, but the basic concepts in our
framework should be replicable and so applicable to any society. The policy implications are related to the crucial
importance that new models to address behaviour consumer have to be identified in order to change eating habits and
attitudes.