Food waste patterns varied across Generation Z in five European countries

Research area:Agricultural and Biological SciencesFood Waste Reduction and SustainabilityFood waste

What the study found

The study found that food waste patterns differed across Generation Z participants in Italy, Estonia, Croatia, Romania, and Serbia. The extended Theory of Planned Behaviour, a model for understanding intentions and behaviour, predicted intentions to reduce food waste.

Why the authors say this matters

The authors conclude that the behavioural determinants identified by the model can inform targeted interventions for young consumers. The findings indicate that country-specific patterns may be relevant when addressing food waste.

What the researchers tested

The researchers studied 330 Generation Z individuals aged 18 to 24 from five European countries. They used an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour that added moral social values, awareness of health risks, and good provider identity, and they combined 7-day food waste diaries, visual plate-waste analysis, and self-administered questionnaires.

What worked and what didn't

Food recognition analysis showed that Estonian participants wasted less food per meal than participants from Italy, Serbia, Croatia, and Romania. Nationality-specific patterns also emerged: Romanians mainly discarded meat and potatoes, participants from Estonia, Croatia, and Serbia wasted fruit and vegetables, and Italians most frequently wasted fish and dairy.

What to keep in mind

The abstract does not describe detailed limitations. The findings are limited to the 330 Generation Z participants from the five countries studied and to the methods reported in the abstract.

Key points

The study examined 330 Generation Z participants aged 18-24 from Italy, Estonia, Croatia, Romania, and Serbia.
An extended Theory of Planned Behaviour model predicted intentions to reduce food waste.
Estonian participants wasted less food per meal than participants from the other four countries.
Different countries showed different patterns of wasted foods, including meat and potatoes, fruit and vegetables, and fish and dairy.
The authors say the identified behavioural determinants can inform targeted interventions for young consumers.

Disclosure

Research title:: Food waste patterns varied across Generation Z in five European countries
Authors:: Neven Voća, Francesco Donsì, Mirela Alina Sandu, Viktoria Voronova, Jana Šic Žlabur, Giovanni De Feo, Ana Vîrsta, Marija Klõga, Jelena Lubura, Anamarija Peter, Gina Vasile Scăețeanu, Sanja Ostojić, Ivan Brandić, Gianpiero Pataro, Dario Balaban, Darko Micić, Jona Šurić, Saša Đurović, Alessandra Procentese, Lato Pezo
Institutions:: Institute of General and Physical Chemistry, Institute of General and Physical Chemistry, Institute of General and Physical Chemistry, Institute of General and Physical Chemistry, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn University of Technology, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, University of Belgrade, University of Belgrade, University of Belgrade, University of Belgrade, University of Novi Sad, University of Novi Sad, University of Salerno, University of Salerno, University of Salerno, University of Salerno, University of Zagreb, University of Zagreb, University of Zagreb, University of Zagreb, University of Zagreb
Publication date:: 2026-02-13
DOI:: 10.3390/foods15040696
OpenAlex record:: View

AI provenance: This post was generated by gpt-5.4-mini (OpenAI). The original authors did not write or review this post.