Factors affecting consumer’s food waste prevention / Ainaa Sakinah Abdul Karim and Siti Hajar Abdullah

Food waste problems in Malaysia have increased gradually and the extent of this food waste issue raises the concern regarding its effect on the economic, social and environment. In developing countries, consumers are considered as one of the biggest sources of the food waste and the action taken to reduce any food waste need to consider this group. To have a clear understanding, the objective of this study is to identify the factors affecting consumer’s food waste prevention by highlighting the factors of knowledge and attitude. Quantitative research was done by distribution of questionnaire. Convenience sampling was used and a total of 175 respondents were randomly selected from consumers that came to Bazaar Ramadhan and Kuala Dungun market. SPSS version 24 was used for the data analysis. Descriptive analysis, correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to analyse the results. Findings from the results show that the knowledge and attitude have significant relationship towards the consumer’s food waste prevention. Further research should focus on exploring the best practices that can be done, most notably on the management and practices of the consumer at home as they post-purchased the food. Overall, as the level of knowledge increases, it will also affect the consumer to have a better attitude. Thus, leads to a better food waste prevention.