“Examining Consumer Food Waste: Evidence from Two Experimental Studies,” presented by Dr. Brenna Ellison, University of Illinois.

Although food waste is increasingly recognized as an environmental and food security problem, there remains uncertainty over its primary contributors. Some food waste analyses seem to treat consumer (household) food waste as a “mistake” or careless decision; however, consumer decisions to waste likely reflect tradeoffs and economic incentives. These issues were explored in two experimental studies. In the first, we employ large surveys of U.S. food consumers using both within- and between-subject designs to study consumers’ decisions to discard food in different scenarios that vary safety, price, and opportunity costs. In the second, preliminary results are presented on the impact of an educational campaign to reduce food waste in university dining facilities.