Almost 30% of food is wasted annually across the world from farm to fork. As a result, food waste has become a major sustainability challenge due to both direct and indirect impacts and implications related to food security, resource use, economic losses, and environmental degradation. Developed countries have been creating significantly more food waste with its resulting implications than developing countries. In high-income nations, such as the United States, it is the consumers that have been generating the most food waste relative to other food supply chain stages. The total percentage of food available at consumption level in high-income nations that becomes food waste is approximately 30% to 50%. It can mainly be explained with negligent consumption behavior, both at home and away from home. This research presents two studies conducted in Oklahoma that analyze consumer food waste behaviors.

The first study presents a new perspective on food waste behaviors subject to proximity to food source, which has not been addressed in this context in the literature. The conceptual novelty of the presented approach refers to three research subjects: 1) food provisioning routines (e.g. shopping, cooking, and storage), 2) food waste habits, and 3) food waste knowledge and opinions. Four consumer groups were determined and surveyed (customers at: a) large supermarkets/grocery stores, b) specialty grocery stores, c) farmers’ markets, and d) community supported agriculture groups - CSA), to represent the conceptual ‘distance’ to food source (proximity to food source) based on the customers’ connection with food production. Correlations and regression analysis were used to investigate differences in regard to food waste among those groups. Although the results show a clear congruence in food waste behavior among the analyzed groups regardless of proximity to food source, members of the CSA group were found to be more involved in food provisioning routines and exhibiting less wasteful behaviors.

The second study was designed to develop a novel index to measure the potential for food waste creation in university dining halls, called the Dining Hall Food Waste Indicator (DHFWI). Survey data collected from students, faculty, and staff at the University of Oklahoma (OU) were used to support the development of the DHFWI. Furthermore, the data were also used to analyze food choices and (dis)satisfaction about food availability, food waste habits and behaviors, and opinions on how OU could potentially reduce food waste in dining halls and thus enhance overall sustainability on campus. The results show a moderate to low potential for food waste creation among the surveyed group. A sub-indicator analysis revealed several notions expressed by the survey respondents to reduce dining hall food waste at OU, such as changing the dining hall environment (smaller portion sizes), targeting student knowledge and behavior (educational campaigns), and modifying student meal plan structures (allow meal points to carry over between weeks and academic school years).

Although the two studies represent different consumer groups, both provide insights into food waste perceptions, behaviors and potential amendments in food consumption patterns, which could be helpful with reducing food waste overall.