The Correlation Between Household Income and Food Wastage: A Case Study of Food Wastage Quantity and Consumer Attitudes
Food waste is a multifaceted issue with immense social and environmental implications. Supply chain efficiency, supply and demand, and food knowledge all play a role in commercial and individual food waste. Though more commonly considered in the context of food insecurity, socioeconomic status should also be considered in the context of food waste. To determine whether there is a correlation between socioeconomic status and amount of food wasted, I conducted a qualitative research survey of peoples’ attitudes toward food waste in San Mateo County. I also conducted quantitative analysis on existing data from Cal Recycle about per capita food waste and annual household income in San Mateo County. A positive correlation between food waste and annual household income was found. That is, people with higher income tend to waste more food. Although all survey respondents stated they do not want to waste food, higher-income individuals were not financially motivated to do so. These results convey the importance of targeting higher and lower-income individuals differently in the context of food waste solutions.
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Food-FueledNotes
Food-Fueled is an undergraduate research journal centered around food-related topics as an extension of American University’s RECIPES project. Funded by the National Science Foundation, RECIPES brings together over 40 researchers working at 15 institutions in order to advance the science needed to make our wasteful food system more sustainable, equitable, and resilient. Food-Fueled aims to publish works on food-related issues ranging from policy to food science, to personal narratives about the influence of food, nature, and agriculture. This work was supported by NSF Grant # 2115405 SRS RN: Multiscale RECIPES (Resilient, Equitable, and Circular Innovations with Partnership and Education Synergies) for Sustainable Food Systems. Findings and conclusions reported within Food-Fueled are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. This article can also be found at the following website: https://edspace.american.edu/foodfueled/issues/volume-i/the-correlation-between-household-income-and-food-wastage-a-case-study-of-food-wastage-quantity-and-consumer-attitudes/ All journal content can be found at the following website: https://edspace.american.edu/foodfueled/Volume
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