Leftover love: Exploring the behavioural heterogeneity of household meal wasters

Meal leftovers are a major component of household food waste. However, there is a limited understanding of leftover food management behaviours, which can assist in reducing food waste in household settings. This study segments households with distinctive behaviours associated with meal leftover management. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis were used for consumer segmentation. Data on meal leftovers and food management behaviours were collected using a national-level survey of 1728 Australian households. We identified two heterogenous groups of households regarding leftover meal management, ‘Self-sufficient savers’ (59% of the sample) and ‘Naïve discarders’ (41% of the sample). The findings indicate that inefficient cooking and storing behaviours lead to cooked meals being discarded. ‘Naïve discarders’ dispose of leftover meals either immediately or after storing them because they do not have sufficient cooking skills to repurpose leftovers or judge the safety of the food after storing them. They also lack meal-planning skills. In contrast, the ‘Self-sufficient savers’ demonstrated efficient cooking skills and storing behaviours. They read and followed the storage and meal portioning instructions. Results highlight the need for customised interventions targeting consumers with low cooking and storing knowledge to contribute towards overall food waste minimisation.