Where to start fighting the food waste problem? Identifying most promising entry points for intervention programs to reduce household food waste and overconsumption of food

Preventing household food waste and overconsumption of food represents a crucial leverage point for the promotion of global environmental sustainability with various food waste related behaviors (i.e. planning, shopping, storage, preparation and consumption practices), which should be taken into account when developing appropriate intervention programs. In order to identify the most promising entry points for intervention development, we conducted an online survey (N = 402) to quantify effects' strength of various food waste related behavioral categories on food waste outcomes as well as on overconsumption outcomes referring to specific, environmentally relevant food groups (i.e., meat, dairy products and bakery products). In line with previous research, we identified (1) food waste preventing consumption practices referring to leftovers, (2) food waste preventing consumption practices referring to expired/suboptimal food, and (3) food waste preventing shopping practices as characterized by effects of significance and meaning on food waste outcomes and/or overconsumption outcomes referring to these food groups. Additionally, these three behavioral categories have been found to be characterized by low performance levels and, therefore, hold high potentials for the promotion of behavioral changes by intervention programs. In addition to providing valuable results for intervention initiatives, our study also provides empirical evidence and draws attention to appropriate developments in food waste research by considering (1) specific behavioral characteristics, (2) specific food characteristics, and (3) sufficiency strategies and overconsumption of food as an independent issue reaching beyond the issue of household food waste to improve the sustainability of the modern food system.