Almost one in three who practice sustainable living waste more than 10 per cent of their food, a new study shows.
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A report co-authored by Australian and Chinese researchers has found those who opt for sustainable food practices still bear responsibility for food wastage.
The findings from 334 mainly female survey respondents has been published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics.
The study's co-author Breda McCarthy of James Cook University said 29.1 per cent reported wasting more than 10 per cent of their food per week, with the highest wasting 30 per cent or more.
"While we didn't identify any who could be described as highly wasteful, those levels are significant in a group that supports sustainability," Dr McCarthy said.
This phenomenon could be described as the "green gap", she said, a discrepancy between people's values and their actions.
Her research was undertaken in unison with Hongbo Liu of China's Anhui University and sought to uncover what influences and motivates different segments of the survey's respondents.
More likely to waste food are higher-income families with young children who eat out on a regular basis, the survey found.
That finding supports other studies linking convenience foods and eating out with higher waste. Yet the results also show food wastage by households who are committed to sustainable living.
Meal planning and using leftovers could be "circuit-breakers" for food wastage in these cases, the research suggests.
Survey respondents were divided into groups such as "freshness lovers" and "organic lovers", with each presenting different potential influences and motivations to waste less food.
"Freshness lovers are likely to welcome information on how to store food to maximise freshness, while fans of organic food could be reminded of the cost of wasting produce that comes at a premium price," Dr McCarthy said.
At the other end of the scale are those who defend food wastage, who will argue it's better to bin food than gain weight.
"Information on storage, portion planning and cooking with leftovers is likely to be welcome there," she said.
Australian Associated Press
