Evans Food Waste Behaviours Influences and Impacts on ...sustainability.ualberta.ca/EducationResearch/Sustainability... · Food Waste Behaviours: Influences and Impacts on Residential

August 2016

Food Waste Behaviours: Influences and Impacts on

Residential Waste and Waste Reduction

APreliminaryReport

Amanda Evans, Sustainability ScholarUniversity of Alberta, Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, Department of Sociology Aurea Siemens, Mentor Waste Reduction Programs Supervisor, Utility Services, City Operations, City of Edmonton

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Acknowledgements

ThankyoutotheUniversityofAlbertaandtheCityofEdmontonforyoursupportofthe

SustainabilityScholarsprogramandthisproject.

AspecialthankyoutoRayleighConley,AlexisDeVilla,StefanieDrozda,ArdenL.Mathieson,everyonefromtheGoBaglessteamforyourassistancewiththisproject,andtotheresidentsofEdmontonwhogenerouslygavetheirtimetoparticipateinthisstudy.

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TableofContentsExecutiveSummary..............................................................................................................................4

Introduction............................................................................................................................................5

StudyObjectives....................................................................................................................................8

Methodology...........................................................................................................................................9

DoorstepSurveys............................................................................................................................................................9In-PersonInterviews..................................................................................................................................................11FoodWasteDiaries......................................................................................................................................................12DataCollectionandAnalysis...................................................................................................................................13

Results...................................................................................................................................................14DoorstepSurveys.........................................................................................................................................14Section1:Demographics...........................................................................................................................................14Section2:FoodWasteandHouseholdInformation.....................................................................................15

In-PersonInterviews..................................................................................................................................17Section1:Demographics...........................................................................................................................................17Section2:ShoppingHabits......................................................................................................................................20Section3:CookingHabits&Leftovers................................................................................................................21Section4:FoodStorageHabits...............................................................................................................................22Section5:FoodWaste................................................................................................................................................22

Pre-DiaryFoodWasteAudits...................................................................................................................26Garbage.............................................................................................................................................................................26Recycling..........................................................................................................................................................................28

FoodWasteDiaries......................................................................................................................................28QuantitiesofFoodWaste..........................................................................................................................................28CommonTypesofFoodWaste...............................................................................................................................30ReasonsforFoodWaste............................................................................................................................................31ComparisonofWasteAuditDatawithInterviewData................................................................................32

Discussion.............................................................................................................................................36

KeyFindings...................................................................................................................................................................36

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PossibleFactorsThatMayHelptoReduceFoodWaste.............................................................................40

Conclusions..........................................................................................................................................43

SuggestionsandRecommendationsforFutureResearch..........................................................................44RecommendationsforDataAnalysis...................................................................................................................44RecommendationsforDataCollection...............................................................................................................44RecommendationsforFurtherDevelopmentofResearchTools............................................................45

References............................................................................................................................................47

ListofFigures......................................................................................................................................49

ListofTables........................................................................................................................................51

Appendices...........................................................................................................................................52AppendixA:DoorstepSurveyandResults..........................................................................................52AppendixB:FoodWasteInterviewandResults................................................................................61AppendixC:FoodWasteDiary(excerpt).............................................................................................96AppendixD:WasteAuditCategories...................................................................................................100AppendixF:CompiledResultsforPre-DiaryWasteAudit...........................................................102AppendixF:CompiledResultsforFoodWasteDiary....................................................................103

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Executive Summary BetweenMayandAugust,2016,asmallscale,fourpartresearchprojectwasconductedin

Edmonton,withthepurposeofgatheringinformationaboutresidentialfood-relatedwaste

(FRW)andavoidablefoodwaste(AFW).Throughthisresearch,theobjectiveswereto

determine:whattypesofresidentialFRWwerebeingproduced;thereasonsandfactors

thatmaycontributetoproductionofFRWandAFW;residents’perceptionsand

understandingoffoodwaste,includingtheirownhouseholdfoodwasteoutputs;and

residenthabitsandbehavioursthatmayresultineitherincreasedorreducedproduction

ofAFW.

CityofEdmontonstaffvisitedatotalofthreeEdmontonneighbourhoodstorecruit

householdstoparticipateinthisstudy.Acrosstheseneighbourhoods,staffcompletedand

receivedresultsfor:

● 320short(3-minute)doorstepsurveys

● 64interviews

● 26wasteaudits(priortocompletionoffoodwastediaries),and

● 32week-longfoodwastediaries

Findingsindicatedthatparticipantswerefamiliarwiththeterm‘foodwaste’andbelieve

thatfoodwasteisanissueinEdmonton,butdonotregularlyhearanythingaboutfood

wasteinthemedia.Mostparticipantsreportedduringinterviewsthattheirhouseholds

threwawayverylittleAFW.However,thewasteauditdatashowedthatparticipant

householdsthrewawayanaverageof5kgofFRWonaweeklybasis.Leftovermealsand

spoiledproducecomprisedthemajorityofAFWinboththewasteauditsandthefood

wastediaries.Themostcommonreasonsparticipantsprovidedforfoodbeingwastedwere

thattheyhadmadetoomuchfoodforameal,orthattheyhadpurchasedtoomuchproduce

andwerenotabletouseitallbeforeitspoiled.

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Theresultsofthisprojectsuggestedthatthemajorityofparticipants’primarymotivations

forreducingfoodwasteweretoeathealthyandtosavemoney.Manyparticipantscited

thatwantingtohaveawidevarietyoffoodsonhandforhealthyeating,andnotknowing

howtoreducefoodwasteorhavingtimetoreducefoodwaste,werepotentialbarriersto

residentsreducingAFW.Theseresultswillbehelpfulindevelopingabetterunderstanding

ofpublicperceptionsandbehavioursassociatedwithfoodwaste,andwillbeusedfor

designingfutureresearchprojectsandeducationprogramstohelpreduceFRWandAFW

inEdmonton.

ThisprojectcontributestotheCityofEdmonton’sEnvironmentalStrategicPlan,TheWay

WeGreen(CityofEdmonton,2001,pp.58-59).Oneofthestrategicactionsincludedinthe

planistodivertupto90percentofresidentialwastefromlandfill,inpartbyencouraging

Edmontonians’participationinrecycling,grasscycling,composting,andreuse.Residential

wastehabitssignificantlycontributetooverallwastereductionanddiversiongoals.

Introduction Municipalitiesandgovernmentsarerecognizingtheneedtoaddressfoodwaste.Notonly

isorganicwasteagrowingconcernforwastemanagementservicesandfacilities,wasted

foodhasadditionaleconomic,environmental,andsocialimpacts.Initialpreventionoffood

wastemaybethebestapproachtotheissue.However,along-termsolutionwillrequirea

multi-facetedapproachtoaddressallfactors,perceptions,practices,andbehavioursthat

currentlycontributetoavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)productionthroughouttheentire

chain,fromproducertoconsumer.Inordertodevelopandimplementalong-termfood

wastestrategyandactionplanthatwilleffectivelyengageallstakeholders,municipalities

mustfirstunderstandthecurrentstatusoffoodwastewithintheirregions,andthefactors

andbehavioursthatarecurrentlycontributingtofoodwaste.Localresearchandstudies

needtobeundertakeninordertoassessthecurrentstateoffoodwaste.Aspartofan

overallfoodwastereductionstrategy,foodrecoveryanddiversioneffortsshouldalsobe

implemented,asmunicipalitiesworktowardtheirfoodwastepreventiongoals.

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Onlyafewmunicipalitiestodatehavedevelopedandimplementedfoodwastereduction

programs.Ofthosethathavehadprogramsinplaceforatleastfiveyears,measurable

successesof21-25percentreductioninresidentialfoodwastehavebeenobserved(Marsh,

2015;WasteandResourcesActionProgramme[WRAP],2013).Itispossiblethatafood

wastereductioncampaign,tailoredtotheneedsandfactorsspecifictoEdmonton,could

alsobesuccessfulinreducingavoidablefoodwaste.

DefiningFoodWaste

Theterm“foodwaste”encompassesallcategoriesofwastethatarerelatedtofood

(KelleherandRobbins,2013),whichinclude:

·Unavoidable–wastefromfoodandbeveragepreparationthatisnotnormally

consumed(e.g.,peels,fruitcoresandpits,meatcarcasses,bones,shells,teabags)

·Possiblyavoidable–foodandbeveragesthatsomepeopleeatbutothersdonot

(suchasbreadcrusts),orthatcanbeeatendependingonpreparation(e.g.,potato

skins)

·Avoidable–foodandbeveragesthatcouldhavebeenconsumedatsomepoint

priortodisposal(e.g.,foodthatwasnoteatenpriortospoilage,fooditemsstillin

original,unopenedpackages)

Anothercategoryoffoodwasteispackaging,whichconsistsofwrappingsandcontainers

thatareusedtosell,contain,andstorefood.Suchitems,whichmaybemadeofeither

recyclableornon-recyclablematerials,includebeverageandfoodcontainers,servingtrays,

andplasticandfoilwrap.

FoodWasteIssues

Currently,Canadaiswasting170,000tonnesoffoodannually,withlossesofatleast$31

billionindirectfoodcosts(Goochetal.,2014).Othercountriesarefacingsimilarlossesof

avoidablefoodwaste,withapproximatelyone-thirdofallfoodbeingwastedatdifferent

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stagesalongthefoodsupplychain(FoodandAgricultureOrganization[FAO],2011).The

reasonsfortheproductionofexcessfoodwastearecomplex,andvarybylocationandby

sector(e.g.,residentialvs.commercial).Factorsthatmaycurrentlycontributetofood

wasteincludebusinesspractices,governmentlegislation,foodregulations,consumer

habits,andwastemanagementprocesses.Findingeffective,long-termsolutionstoreduce

overallAFWthroughprevention,diversion,andrecoverywillrequireamulti-faceted

approachtoaddressthesesamefactors.

Wastedfoodhaseconomic,environmental,andsocialimplications.Financially,foodwaste

representslostmoneyfromproductthatisunabletobesoldtogeneraterevenueforprofit

andtocoveroperatingcosts,resultingin15-20percenthighercostsforthefoodindustry

(Goochetal.,2014).Notonlyarehouseholdsthrowingawayanestimated$2,000CADin

foodannually(Neffetal.,2015),increasedcostsoffoodanddrinkresultinanadditional15

percentor$1,000CADperyearinhouseholdspendingduetoincreasedfoodprices

(WRAP,2009).Transportationanddisposaloffoodwastealsocostsmoney,time,andfuel.

Whenallcostsrelatedtofoodproductionanddistributionaretakenintoaccount,Canadais

losinganestimated$107billionannually(Goochetal.,2014;NationalZeroWasteCouncil

[NZWC],2015).

Organicwaste,alargepercentageofwhichisfoodwaste,hasenvironmentalimpacts.

Wateruseandwaterconservationisaconcerninmanymunicipalities,andwastedfood

representswastedresources,includingwateruse.Whenburiedinlandfills,organicsdonot

decomposeproperlyinananaerobicenvironment,creatingconditionsforbacterial

productionofmethanegas.Organicwastegeneratesanestimated3percentofCanada’s

greenhousegasemissions(NZWC,2015).Manymunicipalitieshavebannedorganicsfrom

landfills,andareeitherdivertingthemintocompostingordigestionoperationsinan

attempttoreduceemissionsaspartoftheiroverallclimatechangemitigationstrategy

(UnitedStatesCompostingCouncil[USCC],2012).Foodwastediversionthroughtax

incentive-basedcharitabledonationscouldreduceCanada’semissionsbyalevelequivalent

totheeliminationof275,000carsfromroadways(NZWC,2015).Donatinganddiverting

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usablefoodisnotonlymoreenvironmentally-sustainable,itwouldhelpaddresssomeof

thesocialissuesassociatedwithfooddistribution,foodcosts,andhealthcare.Anestimated

13percentofhouseholdsinCanada(NZWC,2015),around4millionindividuals(Food

SecurityCanada,2015),arefood-insecure.Foodinsecurityhasbeenshowntoincreaserisk

formentalandphysicalillnesses(Tarasuketal.,2013).Investmentinfoodsecurity

initiativesisakeycomponentofEdmonton’scommitmenttoendpoverty(EndPoverty

Edmonton,2015).

Study Objectives Theprimaryobjectiveofthisresearchprojectwastocollectinformationfromresidents

abouttheirfoodwaste,aswellasinformationaboutresidentialhabitsandbehavioursthat

maycontributetoorhelpreducefoodwaste,throughasmall-scalehouseholdstudy.

Informationwascollectedinthefollowingareas:whattypesoffoodwastewerebeing

producedandthrownawaybyresidents;residents’shopping,cooking,andfoodstorage

habits,andhowthesemayhaveinfluencedtheproductionofhouseholdfoodwaste;public

perceptionsandunderstandingoffoodwaste,andhowthesemayrelatetohabitsthat

couldincreaseordecreasetheamountofhouseholdfoodwasteproduced;andwhich

behavioursresidentsmightbemostwillingorabletoalterinordertoreducetheir

productionofavoidablefoodwaste(AFW).

Becausethisisasmallscaleresearchproject,thesecondaryobjectiveoftheprojectwasto

testtheresearchmethodologyandtoolsforassessmentofresidentialfoodwaste.

Specifically,thisincludedthesmalldoorstepsurveyandassociatedArcGISmapping

software,thein-personinterviewprocess,thewastediaryprocessandformat,andthe

wasteauditprocedures.

Resultsandrecommendationsfromthisprojectwillbeusedtoinformfuturefoodwaste

researchprojects,andtodevelopfuturesocialmarketingandeducationprogramsthatwill

encourageresidentstoreduceAFW.

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Methodology Therewerefourmaincomponentstotheresearchproject:1)athree-minutedoorstep

survey;2)a45-minutein-personorphoneinterview;3)apre-diarywasteaudit;4)aone-

weekfoodwastediary.

Forthepurposesofthisproject,wewereprimarilyinterestedincollectingandanalyzing

datainthefoodrelatedwaste(FRW),andavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)categories.FRW

includedallthreecategoriesoffoodwaste(avoidablefoodwaste,unavoidablefoodwaste,

andfoodpackaging).AFWincludedfoodstillinitsoriginalpackaging(bothopenedand

unopenedpackageswhichcontainedsomeoralloftheoriginalcontents),andediblefoods

suchasleftovermeals.Foodwaste(FW),whenmentionedinthisreport,includedboth

avoidableandunavoidablefoodwastecategories.

Allparticipantswereaskedinadvanceiftheywantedtoparticipateinthisproject.

Participantswhoconsentedtoparticipateintheinterview,wasteaudit,andfoodwaste

diarycomponentswereprovidedaninformationletterandconsentform,andwerefully

informedoftheirrighttowithdrawfromtheprojectatanytime.Participantshadto

providewrittenconsenttoparticipateineachcomponentofinteresttothem.Theydidnot

havetoparticipateinallfourcomponents.

DoorstepSurveys

ThecanvassingphaseofthisprojectoccurredbetweenMay16andJune30,2016inthree

selectedneighbourhoods(locatedintheareasshowninFig.1).Canvassersconductedthe

surveywithresidentslivinginsingle-unitresidences.Thedoorstepsurveywasdesigned

tocollectinformationaboutresidents’knowledge,understanding,andawarenessoffood

waste,whetherornotthiswasatopicthatwasofconcerntothem,andwhatbarriersand

opportunitiestheyfelttheyfacedwhenitcametoreducingfoodwasteintheirhouseholds

(seeAppendixAforsurveyquestions).

Basedon2014MunicipalCensusresults,thethreeselectedresidentialneighbourhoods

hadhighpercentagesofresidentslivinginsingle-unitdetachedhousing,andhadhigh

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percentagesofresidentswhohadlivedattheircurrentresidencesforatleast3years.

Theseneighbourhoodsalsohadwastecollectionrouteswheregarbageandrecyclingwere

pickedupbyCitystaff.Thesefactorswerekeytoselectingneighbourhoodsforthisproject,

toensureagreaterlikelihoodthatprojectparticipantshadestablishedat-homeroutines,

andtofacilitatecollectionproceduresforthewasteaudit.

Figure1:WastecollectionareasinEdmonton.Thesectionshighlightedingreenrepresenttheareasfromwhichneighbourhoodswereselectedfortheproject.

Thesurveywasalsousedasaselectiontooltoidentifyhouseholdsandparticipantswho

werequalifiedandwillingtocompleteanin-personinterview.Participantsqualifiedfor

theinterviewiftheyhadlivedattheircurrentresidenceforatleastthreeyears,andifthey

reportedthattheycookedandatemealsathomeatleastthreetimesduringtheweek.

Thesequalifyingattributesweretoensurethatparticipantsweremorelikelytohave

establishedroutinesrelatedtofoodshopping,foodpreparation,cooking,andwaste

disposalhabits.Theminimumtargetwas65surveysperneighborhood,or200surveys

acrossallthreeneighbourhoods.Atotalof363householdswerecanvassed,with3201

surveyscompleted(equalto320participanthouseholds),foraresponserateof88%

1Thisresponserateisbasedonpercentofpeoplewhoansweredthedoor(nottotalresidencesvisited).

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(Table1).SurveydatawereentereddirectlyintoArcGISsoftwaremapsusingiPadtablets,

whichallowedfordirectdatacollectionandupdatedinformationforcanvassedareas.

In-PersonInterviews

Thesecondpartofthestudyentailedalonger(uptoonehour)structuredin-personor

phoneinterview,whichincludedmorein-depthquestionsabouthouseholdhabits

surroundingfoodshopping,cookingandfoodstoragehabits,behavioursrelatedto

leftoversandfoodwaste,andperceptionsregardingfoodwaste(seeAppendixBfor

interviewquestions).Theminimumtargetnumberofinterviewswas16per

neighborhood,oratotalof50interviewsacrossallthreeneighbourhoods.Datacollected

byinterviewerswereenteredeitherdirectlyintoGoogleFormsorontopaperformsfor

dataentryatalatertime.Participanthouseholdsreceivedathankyouitem(City

Attractionsfamilyadmissionpassortransittickets)fortheirtimeandparticipationinthe

interview.Atotalof64interviewswereconducted,approximatelytwentyper

neighbourhood,witharesponserateof25%(Table1).Followingtheinterview,each

participantwasinvitedtopartakeintheoneweekfoodwastediaryandwasteaudit.

Pre-DiaryWasteAudits

WasteauditswereconductedbetweenJune17andJuly8,2016.Theminimumtarget

numberofauditswastenperneighbourhood,oratotalof30auditsacrossallthree

neighbourhoods.Wasteauditswereonlyconductedforhouseholdsthatalsoagreedto

participateinthefoodwastediarycomponent.Foreachhouseholdthatagreedto

participate,Citystaffcollectedgarbageandrecyclingduringtheregularweekdaycollection

datefortheneighbourhood,uptotwoweekspriortothestartofthefoodwastediaries.

Uptosixbagsofwaste,whichincludedgarbageandrecycling,werecollectedforeach

household.Thiswasduetothecapacityofthevehicleusedforwastecollection,andthe

timelimitsforsortingwasteatthefacilityoneachsortingday.Ifhouseholdshadmorethan

sixbagsofwaste,onlysixbags(1or2bagsofrecyclingandupto4or5bagsofgarbage)

weretakenforsorting.Ifhouseholdshadbagscontainingonlygrassclippingsoryard

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waste,thesebagswereweighedatthecurbwithaluggagescaletorecordapproximate

weights,andwereleftatthecurbsideforregularcollection.Collectedwastefromall

householdswastakentoKennedalewastecollectionfacility,andsortedintoseveral

categories(seeAppendixDforcategorylist).Theamountsofwasteineachcategorywere

weighedandtotaled.Asaresultofsomeresidentsnotsettingoutwasteforcurbside

collectionduringwastecollectiondates,wasteauditswereonlyconductedforatotalof26

households,approximately8-10perneighbourhood.

Inthisaudit,food-relatedwaste(FRW)wasclassifiedintoatotalofsixcategories:

1) Avoidablefoodwaste(AFW)

a) Inpackaging(foodspartiallyeaten,andintactitemsstillinoriginal

packaging)

b) Edible(includingleftoversandtablescraps)

2) Unavoidablefoodwaste(UFW)

a) Householdcompostable(vegetableandfruitpeels,coresandtrimmings)

b) Householdnon-compostable(bones,fatsandoils)

3) Foodpackaging(FP)

a) Recyclable(paper,cardboard,plastic,andmetalcans)

b) Non-recyclable(plastic,paper,foil)

FoodWasteDiaries

FoodwastediarieswerecompletedfromJune22toJuly19,2016.Theminimumtarget

numberofdiarieswas10perneighborhood,oratotalof30diariesacrossallthree

neighbourhoods.Participantsreceivedapapercopyofaone-weekfoodwastediaryanda

wastemeasuringkitinadvanceoftheirselectedstartdate.Participantswereaskedto

recordthetypesandamountsoffoodthrownawayathomefortheirhouseholds,the

reasonsfordisposal,originalquantitiesandconditionsofthoseitemspurchased,and

methodsoffoodwastedisposal(seeAppendixCfordiaryexample).

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Oncecompleted,diarieswerecollectedfromresidents,andthedatawereenteredbyCity

staffintoMicrosoftExcelsheetsforsummaryandanalysis.Becausevaryingmeasurements

wereusedbyparticipantstorecordfoodwaste,allfoodwastedatawerestandardizedby

convertingreportedquantitiesintolitres(L),sothatdiarydatacouldbeaggregated.

Participantswhocompletedthewastediarywereallowedtokeepthewastemeasuringkit,

andalsoreceivedathankyouitem(giftcardforalocalstore)fortheirtime.Atotalof32

households,approximately10-11perneighbourhood,completedthefoodwastediaries.

DataCollectionandAnalysis

AlldatawerecollectedandstoredsecurelyinCitynetworkfolders.Consentformsand

personalinformationwerestoredinsecure,lockedcabinets.Papercopiescontaining

survey,interview,ordiarydatawereshreddedonceallinformationhadbeenentered

electronically.

Becausetheparticipantsinthisstudywerenotselectedrandomly,andthetotalsample

sizeofthegroupofparticipantswassmall,thedataandresultsofthisprojectcannotbe

usedtomakecity-widegeneralizationsorextrapolationsforallsingle-unitresidents.

However,thedatadoprovideasnapshotofindividuals’foodwastehabitsandhowthose

habitsandbehavioursmayaffectthetypeandamountoffoodwasteproduced.

Somedatawerecomparedbetweenneighbourhoods,toensureconsistencyin

methodologyandtodetermineiftherewereanylargevariationsbetweendifferentareasof

thecity.Itwasdeterminedthatmostofthedataandresultswerecomparableand

consistentbetweenthethreeneighbourhoods.Therefore,mostofthedatapresentedin

theresultssectionisaggregated,representingparticipatinghouseholdsacrossallthree

neighbourhoods.

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Table1:Numbersandpercentagesofparticipantsinvolvedwithprojectcomponents.

PeopleCanvassed

CompletedDoorstepSurveys

In-PersonInterviewOffered

CompletedInterviews

CompletedPre-DiaryWaste

AuditsCompletedFoodDiaries

Neighbourhood1 130 114 89 22 8 10

Neighbourhood2 119 105 80 20 10 11

Neighbourhood3 114 101 89 22 8 11

Total 363 320 258 64 26 32

% -- 88.15 -- 24.81 40.63 50

Results

DoorstepSurveys

Section1:Demographics

Throughoutthisproject,itwasassumedthatdemographicsofallsurveyparticipants

(n=320)wereconsistentwiththoseofEdmontonresidentslivinginsinglefamilydetached

housing.Mostparticipants(70%)hadlivedattheircurrentresidenceforatleastfiveyears,

ownedtheirhouse(89%),andwereeithermarriedorinacommon-lawrelationship

(74%).Mostparticipantswerebetweentheagesof35and64yearswiththehighest

frequencyofparticipantsbetweentheagesof45and54years(Fig.2).

Figure2:Distributionofparticipants’agesindoorstepsurvey.

Whilehouseholdsizesrangedfromonetoelevenpeople,themajorityofparticipantslived

intwo-tofour-memberhouseholds(Fig.3).Ofthe300participantswhorespondedtothe

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question,‘Aretherechildrenunder18yearsinthehouse?’,overone-third(37%)saidthey

hadatleastonechildlivingwiththem(Fig.4).

Figure3:Distributionofhouseholdsizesforparticipantsindoorstepsurvey.

Figure4:Distributionofhouseholdswithchildrenunder18yearsofageindoorstepsurvey.

Section2:FoodWasteandHouseholdInformation

Mostparticipants(83%)wereawareoftheterm“foodwaste.”Amajority(79%)also

thoughtthatfoodwastewasanissueinCanada,butslightlyfewer(74%)thoughtoffood

wasteasanissueinEdmonton.Whenaskediftheyhadheardanythingrecentlyinthenews

oronsocialmediaaboutfoodwaste,only30percentofparticipantsagreed,with

referencestohavingheardaboutfoodwastethroughnewspapersoronTV.Nearlytwo-

thirds(64%)ofparticipantssaidtheyhadthoughtaboutfoodwasteintheirown

householdwithinthepastyear,eitherweeklyormonthly(AppendixA).

Two-thirds(67%)ofparticipantsreportedthattheyhadtriedtoreducetheamountof

householdfoodwasteinthepastyear,eitheronaweeklyormonthlybasis(Fig.5).Ofthose

(32%)thathadnottriedtoreducewasteintheirhomes,themostcommonreasonsforthis

were:theyonlyhadabitofwastedfood(40responses)orneverhadfoodwaste(11

16

responses);theydidnotknowhoworhavethetimetoreducetheirfoodwaste(20

responses);foodwastewasunavoidable(13responses)(Fig.6).

Figure5:Responsestothedoorstepsurveyquestion:“Inthepastyear,howoftenhaveyoutriedtoreducetheamountofwastefoodinyourhousehold?”

Figure6:Responsestothedoorstepsurveyquestion:“Ifyouhaven’ttriedtoreducefoodwasteinyourhousehold,whynot?”

Almosthalf(49%)ofrespondentshadsomeformofvegetablegarden,eitherathomeor

elsewhere(Fig.7).Approximatelyone-fifth(22%)ofparticipantshadeitheracomposter

orwormbinthattheyusedfordisposalofkitchenscraps,andone-third(33%)ofthose

whogardenedalsopracticedbackyardcompostingorvermicompostingasawayofdealing

withorganicfoodwasteproducedintheirhomes.

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Figure7:Percentagesofdoorstepsurveyparticipantswhohadagardenandpracticedhomecomposting.

SeeAppendixAforthefulllistofsurveyquestionsandresponses.

In-PersonInterviews

Section1:Demographics

Atotalof64participants(n=64)completedtheinterview.Allwerehomeownersand69

percenthadlivedintheirhouseforfiveyearsorlonger.Similartotheresultsfromthe

doorstepsurvey,themostfrequentagerangeofparticipantswas45to54years(Fig.8).

Participantsmostcommonlylivedintwo-tofour-personhouseholds(Fig.9),andoverhalf

(58%)didnothavechildrenunder18yearsofagelivingathome(Fig.10).

Figure8:Distributionofagesofparticipantsinterviewed.

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Figure9:Distributionofhouseholdsizesforparticipantsinterviewed.

Figure10:Distributionofhouseholdswithchildrenunder18yearsofage.

Comparedwiththesurvey,aslightlyhigherpercentage(75%)ofinterviewparticipants

saidthattheytryonaweeklyormonthlybasistoreducefoodwasteintheirhomes(Fig.

11).Ofthe16participantswhorarelyornevertriedtoreducefoodwaste,theirreasons

weresomewhatsimilartothoseinthedoorstepsurvey.Primaryreasonsgivenwerethat:

participantscompostedintheirbackyard;thattheywouldliketotrybutdidnotknowhow

ordidnothavetime;theyfeltthatfoodwastewasunavoidable(Fig.12).Unlikethesurvey,

havingonlyalittleornofoodwastewasnotoneoftheprimaryreasonsstated.

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Figure11:Responsestotheinterviewquestion:“Inthepastyear,howoftenhaveyoutriedtoreducetheamountofwastedfoodinyourhousehold?”

Figure12:Responsestotheinterviewquestion:“Ifyouhaven’ttriedtoreducefoodwasteinyourhousehold,whynot?”

Incontrasttothedoorstepsurvey,whereabouthalfoftheparticipantsreportedthatthey

hadahomegarden,thepercentagesofgardenersandhomecomposterswerehigherinthe

interview.Nearlytwo-thirds(64%)ofthoseinterviewedwerehomegardeners.Ofthose

whogardened,overtwo-thirds(40%)hadacompostorwormbinthattheyusedforfood

waste(Fig.13).

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Figure13:Percentagesofinterviewparticipantswhohaveagardenandpracticehomecomposting.

Section2:ShoppingHabits

Themajorityofparticipantsinterviewedwereresponsibleformost(67%)oratleasthalf

(14%)ofthehouseholdshopping.Householdsmostfrequentlywentonabigshoppingtrip

onceperweek(Fig.14).Severalhouseholds(40%)regularlyshoppedatonlyonetypeof

store,whichwerethemediumtolargesupermarkets(e.g.,Sobey’s,SuperstoreorSave-On-

Foods)(88%ofone-storehouseholds).Householdsmostfrequentlyshoppedattwotypes

ofstoresforfoodpurchases(47%ofhouseholds),whichincludedtheaforementioned

supermarkets(50%oftwo-storehouseholds)aswellaswarehouse-typestores(e.g.,

Costco,TheGroceryPeople)(32%oftwo-storehouseholds).

Figure14:Responsestotheinterviewquestion:“Howoftendoesyourhouseholdgoonamainshoppingtripforgroceries?”

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Whileoverhalfofparticipants(52%)usedsomeformofwrittenshoppinglist,whetherit

wasarunninglist(21%)oralistmadejustpriortogoingonashoppingtrip(31%),48%of

householdsusedmemoryandhabittoguidethemthroughtheirshoppingtrips(Fig.15).

Regardlessofwhetherornotparticipantsusedsomekindoflist,themajorityof

households(70%)boughtitemsthatwerenotontheirlistduringtheirlastbigshopping

trip.

Figure15:Responsestotheinterviewquestion:“BEFOREyougoonamainshoppingtrip,doyouusually:keepawrittenlist,makealistpriortoshopping,memorizewhatyouneedorhaveageneralideaofwhattobuy?”

Section3:CookingHabits&Leftovers

Similartoresponsesforshoppinghabits,theparticipantsinterviewedwereresponsiblefor

most(62%)oratleasthalf(14%)ofthecooking.Themajority(89%)alsostatedthatthey

ateathomeeverydayormost(fiveormore)daysoftheweek.Mostparticipants(76%)

decidedwhattheyweregoingtohavefordinnerthatdayorafewdaysaheadoftime.Only

fourparticipantsstatedthattheyhadsomeformofweeklymealplan.Nearlytwo-thirds

(64%)ofparticipantsstatedthatallorpartoftheirleftoversfromtheirlastmealwere

savedandusedforanothermeal.

Participantswereaskedtodescribethelasttimethatfoodwasthrownoutintheir

households,andthereasonsorcircumstancesforthatparticularfooditembeingthrown

away(AppendixB).Themostcommontypesoffoodthatwerethrownoutweremeal

leftovers(51%ofresponses),followedbyproduce(25%ofresponses).Theprimaryreason

22

forfoodbeingthrownwasfoodthathadbeenleftorstoredfortoolong,andfoodthathad

lostitsorganolepticallyappealingqualities(i.e.,itdidnotlook,smellortastegoodany

more.)Anothercommonreasonforfoodbeingthrownawaywashouseholdmembers’

disinterestinconsumingtheleftovermealitem.Forexample:

“Wewillthrowoutleftoversiftheyaremorethanthreedaysinthefridge.”-35-44yearoldfemale,parent

“Basicallyifit’sgettingtobemorethanfiveorsixdays,andnoone'seatingit,thenitgets

thrownaway.” -45-54yearoldmale,parent

“Ihadpastaleftoversfromthemealbefore,therewasonlyalittlebitleft,andthe

secondtimeIateit,soIthrewitout.”-25-34yearoldmale,nochildren

Section4:FoodStorageHabits

Whilemostparticipantsdidsaythattheyusedtheirfreezerstostorehome-mademeals

andleftovers,many(40%)participantsstatedthattheydonotusetheirfreezertostore

leftoverfoodfrommeals.

Section5:FoodWaste

Whenparticipantswereaskedtoconsidertheiravoidablefoodwaste(AFW)habitsin

relationtootherhouseholds,participantspredominantlystatedthattheythoughtthey

threwawaylessfoodthanhouseholdsofsimilarsize(Fig.16).

23

Figure16:Typesoffoodwaste(FW)inthehousehold.Responsestothequestion:“Overthepasttwoweeks,howmuchofthefollowingfoodtypeshasyourhouseholdthrownaway(eitherinyourgarbage,compostpile,downthesink,orfedtopets)incomparisontohouseholdsyoursize?”

Therewasaslightdifferencewhenaskedaboutdifferenttypesoffoodwaste(FW),which

includedbothavoidable(AFW)andunavoidablefoodwaste(UFW).Ahighernumberof

participantsreportedthattheythrewout‘alot’or‘anaverageamount’ofUFW,suchas

foodscraps,andAFW,suchasuneatenfoodleftonaplate,unfinishedpackagesoffood,and

spoiledfood(Fig.17).Regardingparticipants’overallperceptionoftheirfood-related

waste(FRW),themajority(84%)statedthattheythrewouta‘belowaverage’amountin

comparisontohouseholdsofsimilarsize(AppendixB,Section5).

24

Figure17:Typesofavoidable(AFW)andunavoidable(UFW)foodwasteinthehousehold.Responsestothequestion:“Overthepasttwoweeks,howmuchofthefollowingtypesoffoodrelatedwastehasyourhouseholdthrownaway(eitherinyourgarbage,compostpile,downthesink,orfedtopets)incomparisontohouseholdsyoursize?”

Section6:FoodWasteBehavioursWhenparticipantswereasked‘Towhatextentdoyoucurrentlydoanyofthefollowingtominimize

theamountoffoodandfood-relatedwastethatyourhouseholdthrowsaway?’,thetopthreemost

frequentbehaviourswere:preparationandcookingofmealsathome(60responses);preparing

mealsfromscratch(58responses);andsavingleftoversforanothermeal(54responses)(Appendix

B,Section6).

Intermsofreasonsthatmaypreventresidentsfromtryingtoreducefoodwaste,19households

reportedthattherewerenobarriers.Oftheremaininghouseholds,thetoptworeasonsprovided

werehavinglotsofvarietyandchoicesonhand(26responses),andneedingtobuyawiderangeof

foodforhealthyeatingoptions(25responses)(Fig.18).

25

Figure18:Responsestothequestion:“Which(ifany)ofthefollowingreasonspreventyourhouseholdfromtryingtoreducetheamountoffoodthatisthrownaway?”

Whenparticipantswereaskedabouttheirreasonsthatwouldencouragethemtoreducefood

waste,themostimpactfulreasonswere:eatingahealthydiet(43responses)orgettingkidstoeat

healthy(30responses);financialsavings(38responses);andfeelingsofguiltaroundthrowing

awayediblefood(30responses)(Fig.19).

Figure19:Responsestothequestion:“Thinkaboutfactorsthatmightencourageyourhouseholdtoreducefoodwaste.Towhatextentdoanyofthefollowinghaveanimpactonyouractions?”

26

SeeAppendixBforthefulllistofinterviewquestionsandresponses.

Pre-DiaryFoodWasteAudits

Garbage

Ofthe26households(n=26)fromwhichwastewasabletobecollectedontheircollection

days,therewasatotalof163.98kgoffood-relatedwaste(FRW).Thiswasapproximately

one-third(33%)ofthetotalweight(502kg)ofgarbage.Thequantityoftotalgarbage

includedyardwastebutdidnotincluderecycling.Eachhouseholdhadanaverageof4.95

kgofFRW(rangeof0.54-19.76kg)(Fig.21).AmountsofFRWweresimilarbetween

neighbourhoods(Fig.22)

Figure20:Citystaffconductingfoodwasteaudit.

Figure21:Weightoffood-relatedwaste(FRW)ingarbageforeachhouseholdbyneighbourhood.

27

Figure22:Percentageoffood-relatedwaste(FRW)ingarbagebyneighbourhood,asapercentageofthetotalweightofFRWacrossallthreeneighbourhoods.

OfthetotalFRWfoundingarbagebags,overone-quarter(27%)ofthiswasfoodinoriginal

packaging(Fig.23).Nearlyone-quarter(24%)wasediblefoodwaste,themajorityofwhich

consistedofintactproduceandleftovermealitems.Nearlyone-third(32%)was

unavoidable,home-compostablefoodwaste,includingpeels,cores,andstemsthatarenot

normallyeaten.Overhalf(52%)ofthetotalavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)(83.13kg)inthe

garbagewasfoodinoriginalpackaging(Fig.24).

Figure23:Percentagesofthesixcategoriesoffood-relatedwaste(FRW)foundingarbage(recyclingnotincluded).Resultsincludeallneighbourhoodsandallhouseholds.

28

Figure24:Percentagesofediblefoodandfoodinpackaging(twocategoriesofavoidablefoodwaste,AFW)foundingarbage.

Recycling

Althoughsimilarwasteauditdatawasalsocollectedforrecycling,theseresultsarenot

presentedinthispaper.Theprimaryfocusofthisreportwastocollectandanalyzedataas

itpertainedtoFWandAFWingarbage.

SeeAppendixEforcompiledresultsfromthewasteaudit.

FoodWasteDiaries

QuantitiesofFoodWaste

Atotalof206.23Loffoodwaste(FW)wasrecordedinjournalscompletedby32

participants(n=32).Eachneighbourhoodhadanaverageof68.74LoftotalFW(rangeof

54L-83L)(Fig.25).NeighbourhoodthreerecordedtheleastamountofFW(26%)and

neighbourhoodtworecordedthemostFW(41%)(Fig.26).Theseresultsdifferfromthe

wasteauditresultswhereallthreeneighbourhoodshadsimilaramountsofFRW(Fig.22).

29

Figure25:Amountoftotalfoodwaste(FW)(includesavoidableandunavoidable)thrownawaybyhouseholds,asreportedinone-weekfoodwastediaries,separatedbyneighbourhood.Numbersbelowthegraphindicatethevolumes,inlitres,ofwastereportedinthediaries.

Figure26:Percentagesoftotalfoodwaste(FW)(includesavoidableandunavoidable)thrownawaybyhouseholds,asreportedinone-weekfoodwastediaries,separatedbyneighbourhood.

Overall,therewasmoreAFW(59%)thanunavoidablefoodwaste(UFW)(41%)(Fig.27).

NeighbourhoodthreehadtheleastdifferencebetweenAFW(30L)andUFW(24L)(Fig.

25).

30

Figure27:Percentagesoftotalfoodwaste(FW)thrownawaybyhouseholds,asreportedinone-week

foodwastediaries.Resultsincludeallneighbourhoods.

CommonTypesofFoodWaste

Accordingtothediariesacrossallthreeneighbourhoods,themostcommontypesofAFW

wereproduce(30%)andleftovers(19%)(Figs.28,29).Theseresultswereconsistentwith

theinterviewresults,whereparticipantsreportedthatthemostrecenttypesoffoodwaste

thrownawayweremealleftovers(51%)andproduce(25%).2

Figure28:Mostcommontypesofavoidablefoodwaste(AFW),basedonthefrequencytheywerereportedbeingthrownaway,inone-weekfoodwastediaries(allhouseholds)

2Thedifferencesintheseresultsmaybeduetomeasuring.Wasteauditmaterialswereweighedinkilogramswhilewastediaryitemswerereportedinlitres.

31

Figure29:Volumesofavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)foodthrownaway,asreportedinone-weekfoodwastediaries(allhouseholds)

ReasonsforFoodWaste

Outof549instancesinthediarieswherereasonsweregivenforAFW,mostofthetimeit

wasduetomakingtoomuchfood(41%),orbecausethefoodhasspoiled(40%)(Fig.29).

Otherreasonsincludedfoodnotbeingliked(15%),andthatthefoodwasnotproperly

prepared(4%).

Figure30:Reasonsforavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)foodthrownaway,asreportedinone-weekfooddiaries(allhouseholds)

SeeAppendixFforacompiledlistofresultsfromthefoodwastediary.

32

ComparisonofWasteAuditDatawithInterviewData

TimeofCollection

Duringthestudy,theauditoverlappedwiththeCanadaDaylongweekend.Althoughitwas

possiblethatcelebrationsorlongweekendvacationscouldhaveresultedineitheraspike

orasignificantdropinfoodwasteproducedbyhouseholds,theresultsshowedthatthere

waslittledifferenceinFRWandAFWcollectedbeforetheweekend(June17,30),

comparedwithaftertheweekend(July5,7,8)(Table2).

Table2:Averagesandrangesofavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)andfood-relatedwaste(FRW),groupedbydateofwastecollection.

Collection Date(# of households)

Food-Related Waste (kg) Avoidable Food Waste (kg)

Range Average Range Average

Before July 1 (14) 2.65-13.40 6.52 0.10-9.75 3.18

After July 1 (12) 10.54-14.74 5.79 0.30-7.95 3.12

HouseholdSize

Two-memberhouseholdsgeneratedthemostFRWandAFW,comparedwithlarger

householdsizes(Table3).

Table3:Averagesandrangesofavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)andfood-relatedwaste(FRW),groupedbysizeofhousehold.

Household Size (# households)



2 (4) 4.60-13.40 8.77 3.25-9.25 6.06

33

3 (12) 0.54-5.61 3.97 1.03-3.40 2.04

4 (6) 3.30-14.74 7.52 0.35-7.65 3.48

5 (4) 2.65-19.76 8.23 0.10-9.75 3.39

ChildrenintheHousehold

ThetotalamountofFRWingarbageassociatedwiththepresenceofchildren(under18yrs

ofage)wasslightlyhigher(average6.61kg)comparedwithhouseholdsthatdidnothave

children(average5.69kg).However,theaverageweightsofAFWweresimilarbetween

householdswithandwithoutchildren(Table4).

Table4:Averagesandrangesofavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)andfood-relatedwaste(FRW),groupedbypresenceofchildrenunder18yearsofage.

Children (# households)



Yes (14) 2.69-19.76 6.61 0.10-9.75 3.37

No (12) 0.54-13.40 5.69 0.30-9.25 3.00

NumberofAdultsintheHousehold

Fromallthehouseholdswherewasteauditswereconducted,eightoutofthetwelve

householdsthatdidnothavechildrenunder18yearsofagehadmorethan2adultsliving

intheirhousehold.Householdswith3ormoreadultmembershadconsiderablylower

amountsofFRW(average4.14kg)andAFW(average1.47kg),comparedwith2-adult

householdswithoutchildren(averagesof8.77kgand6.06kg,respectively)(Table5).In

thecaseofAFW,thetwo-adulthouseholdsproducedmorethantwicetheamount,

comparedwithhouseholdswith3ormoreadults.

34

Table5:Averagesandrangesofavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)andfood-relatedwaste(FRW),groupedbythepresenceofmorethan2adults.

3 or More Adults (# households)



Yes (8) 0.54-7.57 4.14 0.30-2.80 1.47

No (4) 4.60-13.40 8.77 3.25-9.25 6.06

ShoppingHabits

HouseholdswhowentshoppingonceperweekhadbothloweraverageFRW(5.21kg)and

AFW(2.16kg)(Table6),comparedwithhouseholdswhoshoppedeithermoreorless

frequently.Householdsthatmadeashoppinglistjustpriortoashoppingtriphadlower

FRW(averageof4.52kg)andAFW(averageof2.12kg),comparedwithhouseholdsthat

didnotmakeashoppinglist,orthatkeptarunninglistofneededitems(Table7).

Table6:Averagesandrangesofavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)andfood-relatedwaste(FRW),groupedbyfrequencyofshoppingtrips.

Frequency of Shopping Trips (# households)

Food-Related Waste (kg) Avoidable food waste (kg)


More than once per week (3)

5.71-13.40 8.45 2.85-9.25 5.60

Once per week (14) 0.54-14.74 5.21 0.1-7.65 2.16

Every two weeks (6) 2.59-19.76 7.02 1.03-9.75 3.65

Once per month or longer (3)

4.93-10.59 6.82 2.80-7.95 4.72

Table7:Averagesandrangesofavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)andfood-relatedwaste(FRW),groupedbyshoppinglisthabits.

35

ShoppingListHabits(#households)

Food-RelatedWaste(Kg) Avoidablefoodwaste(Kg)


WrittenRunningList(11) 2.65-14.74 6.58 .35-9.25 3.34

Writtenlistbeforeshopping(9) 2.59-7.57 4.52 0.10-4.70 2.12

Nolist(6) 2.90-19.76 7.95 1.55-9.75 4.55

HomeComposting

Duringinterviews,homecompostingwaslistedbyparticipantsasaprimaryreasonfornot

thinkingabouttryingtoreducehouseholdfoodwaste(Fig.12).Inordertodetermineif

compostinghouseholdshadlessfoodwaste,wecomparedamountsofAFWandhome

compostablefoodwasteinthegarbage(Table8).

Householdsthatusedacomposterfordisposaloffoodscrapshadaslightlyhigherweight

ofavoidablefoodwaste(averageof3.59kg),andaslightlylowerweightofhome

compostablefoodwaste(averageof1.84kg),comparedwithnon-compostinghouseholds.

Table8:Averagesandrangesofavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)andhome-compostablefoodwaste,incompostingandnon-compostinghouseholds.

Composter (#households)

Avoidable food waste (kg) Home compostable food waste (kg)


Yes (7) 0.54-9.25 3.59 0.03-4.70 1.84

No (19) 0.1-9.75 3.05 0.2-7.5 2.12

FoodWastePerceptions

Whenparticipantswereaskedabouthowtheirhousehold’sgarbagecomparedtoother

similarly-sizedhouseholds,19outof26participants(73%)statedtheyfelttheygenerated

asmallamountorverylittlefoodwastebycomparison.Whentheseperceptionswere

36

comparedtothedatafromthewasteauditperhousehold,therewasapproximatelya

50/50splitbetweenperceptionandproductionoffoodwaste(Fig.31).Ofhouseholdsthat

perceivedtheywastedlessthanotherhouseholds,overhalf(53%)ofthemgeneratedthe

sameamountorslightlylessAFWthanotherhouseholdsofsimilarsize.Lessthanhalf

(47%)thehouseholdsproducedmoreAFWbyanaverageof1.7kg,incomparisonwith

similarly-sizedhouseholds.

Figure31:Participantperceptionsofhouseholdfoodwaste,comparedwithactualAFWobservedduringwasteaudit,observedamongstparticipantswhostatedtheyproducedverylittleornofoodwaste.3

Discussion

Key Findings

Wefoundthatfoodwaste(FW)madeuproughly27%ofblackbaggarbageproducedby

participanthouseholds(AppendixE),withjustoverhalf(51%)beingavoidablefoodwaste

(AFW).Thisisconsistentwiththefoodwastediarydata(59%or121.53LofAFW).The

foodwasteauditandthewastediariesindicatethatparticipantswereprimarilythrowing

awayleftoversandproduce.Intheaudit,moreleftoversthanproducewerethrownaway.

Inthediaries,itwasreportedthatmoreproducethanleftoverswerethrownout.This

couldhavebeenduetodifferencesinmeasurementsused(byweightintheaudit,by

volumeinthediary).Sometypesoffoodwaste,especiallyfreshfoods,areheavier,but

occupylessvolume.3Thesedataonlyincludethe19householdswhostatedtheyproduced“asmallamount”or“verylittle”foodwaste.

37

Theinterviewandwasteauditresultsshowedthattherewasadistinctivedifference

betweenhowmuchfoodwasteparticipantsthoughttheywerethrowingaway,relativeto

otherhouseholds,asopposedtohowmuchfoodwastetheywereactuallythrowingaway

(Fig.31).Residentperceptionsandbehaviours,suchaspurchasingandcookinghabits,

likelyplayasignificantroleinhowmuchfoodwasteisproducedbyhouseholds,andhow

muchfoodwasteresidentsthinktheyproduce.

PossibleFactorsContributingtoFoodWaste

Factorsthatmaycontributetotheproductionoffoodwasteincludehouseholdsize,the

presenceofyoungchildreninthehouseholdoradditionaladultsinthehousehold,

frequencyofhouseholdshopping,useofashoppinglist,homecomposting,andperceptions

offoodwaste.

HouseholdSizeandPresenceofChildren

Two-adulthouseholdsgeneratedmoreFRWandAFWthanhouseholdswithmorethantwo

adults.Thismaybetheresultofmultiplesocioeconomic,environmental,andlifestyle

factors,manyofwhichwerenotaddressedwithinthescopeofthisproject.Itispossible

thatsmallerhouseholdsdidnotendupconsumingfoodbeforeitspoils,eitherbecausethey

purchasedsizesofgroceryitemsdesignedforfamilies,orbecauseoflifestyle

considerations(e.g.,eatingout,orhavinglesstimetocookathomethananticipated).

Itwasinterestingtonotethatthepresenceofchildrenhadaslightimpactonincreasing

food-relatedwaste(FRW).Thismaybeduetotheprevalenceofsingle-servingfoodin

disposablepackaging,whichareoftenusedinchildren’slunchesandsnacks.Further

analysisofthewasteauditdatawouldbeneededtoseeifweightsofrecyclableandnon-

recyclablefoodpackagingwerealsohigherinhouseholdswithchildren.

Shopping,Cooking,andFoodStorageHabits

TwooftheprimaryreasonsgivenforAFWbeingthrownawayweremakingtoomuchfood

andspoiledfood.Fromtheresults,itappearedthatparticipantswerebuyingmoreproduce

38

thantheirhouseholdscouldconsumebeforethefoodspoiled.Thisover-buyingmaybe

dueinparttotheprimaryreasonsthatparticipantscitedasbeingbarrierstoreducingfood

waste,whichwerewantingtoensureagoodvarietyoffoodsandarangeofhealthyfood

optionsforeatingathome.

Participantsfrequentlyrecordedthattheyweremakingandservingmorefoodthanwhat

theirhouseholdcouldeatinonemeal.Iftheyhadonlysmallquantitiesofleftovers,these

werebeingthrownawaybecausetherewastoolittleworthsavingforanothermeal.Larger

quantitiesofleftoverswerebeingstoredinthefridge,butiftheywerenoteatenwithina

fewdaystoaweek,theywerethrownaway.Inseveralinstances,thestatedreasonforthis

behaviourwasthat‘nobodywasinterestedineatingthem’,whichfurthersupportsthe

statementthatparticipantswantedawidevarietyofavailablefoods.Someofthe

interviewcommentssuggestedthateatingthesameleftoverstoomanytimesinarowcan

leadto“leftoverfatigue”,andlossofinterestineatingstill-ediblefoods.

Intheinterview,40percentofparticipantsdidnotusethefreezerformealleftovers,

optingtostoretheminthefridgeforshort-termstorage.Useofthefreezerinsteadofthe

fridgecouldhelptoreduceAFWforsomeresidents,andmayalsohelpreduce“leftover

fatigue”.Largeramountsofleftoverscouldbefrozenforalongerperiodoftime,insteadof

forcingtheideathatleftoversneedtobeconsumedrightaway,overmultipleconsecutive

days.

HomeComposting

Therecouldbeseveralpossiblereasonsforfindingslightlyhigheramountsofavoidable

foodwasteinthegarbageofhouseholdsengagedinhomecomposting,comparedwithnon-

compostinghouseholds.Itispossiblethatresidentsfamiliarwithcompostingareespecially

vigilantaboutwhatshouldandshouldnotbeputintocompostbins,andprefertoerron

thesideofcautionwhenitcomestomixedleftoverscontainingitemsthatarenot

recommendedforbackyardcomposters.Itisalsopossiblethatcompostbinsorpilesare

notbeingusedtotheirfullpotential,orthatsomeresidentsprimarilyusedtheircomposter

39

foryardwaste.Additionally,someresidentsmayfeelthat,sincetheydocompostafair

amountoforganicwaste,puttingextrafoodwasteinthegarbageisnotanissue(i.e.,the

composterisbeingusedtomitigatebutnotnecessarilytoeliminatefoodwastefrom

enteringthewastestream.)Moreresearchisneededtobetterunderstandtherelationship

betweenhomecompostingandfoodwaste.Inthefuture,itmaybehelpfultoensurethat

educationalinformationandmessagingaboutfoodwastereductionareincludedinhome

compostinginformationandeducationalmaterials.

PerceptionsofFoodandFoodWaste

Mostparticipantsunderstoodtheterm‘foodwaste’,recognizedthefactthattheyproduced

differenttypesoffoodwastefordifferentreasons,andhadtriedtoreduceAFWathome

priortotheirparticipationintheproject.However,themajorityofparticipantswerenot

fullyawareoftheamountofFRWandAFWtheywerethrowingaway.Whenaskedduring

theinterview“Overall,howmuchuneatenfoodwouldyousayyourhouseholdendsup

throwingaway?”,83percentstatedthattheyproducedbelow-averageorverylittlewaste

comparedtootherhouseholdstheirsize(AppendixB,Section5).Comparedwithresults

fromthewasteauditandfoodwastediary,allhouseholdsproducedafairamountoffood

waste.Indeed,whiletheaverageamountofhouseholdFRWwasroughly5kg,some

householdsproducedupto19kg.Whilethismaynotseemlikealargequantity,anaverage

householdwith5kgoffoodwasteperweekwouldbeproducing260kg(equivalentto13

garbagebags4)offoodwasteperyear.

Participantsmaynothavebeenawareofhowmuchfoodwastetheyproduced,becausein

mostinstances,onlysmallquantitiesoffoodwastewerebeingthrownawayatatime.Of

the1,158recordedincidentswherefoodwaste(AFWandUFW)wasthrownout,774

incidents(67%)involvedquantitieslessthan120mL(½cup)involume5.Bythrowing

awayonlysmallamountsonafrequentbasis,especiallywheninterspersedwiththrowing4Basedon20kgrecommendedbagweightaspertheCityofEdmonton’sCollectionSafetyTips(2016)

5Legalimperialmeasureswereusedtoconverttometricwhere1Cup=0.24L

40

awaynon-fooditemseveryday,itwouldbeeasyforresidentstounderestimatetotal

quantitiesoffoodthey’rethrowingawayoveraperiodofaweek,month,oryear.This

patternofbehaviour(throwingawaysmallquantitiesmorefrequently)wouldlikely

influencehowapersonperceivestheiroverallfoodwaste.

“This[researchproject]makesmemoreawareofwaste....wehaveatwodoor[refrigerator]anditishardertoorganize--leftoversgototheback.Ineedtoorganizeonaweeklybasisandalsocutdownonfreshfruitandveggies.”

-56-65yroldfemale

Possible Factors That May Help to Reduce Food Waste

Thisprojectidentifiedcertainhabitsandperceptionsthatmaybekeytoreducing

residentialfoodwaste.Theresultsofthisprojectindicatethatincreasingresidents’

awarenessofhowtoreduceoravoidfoodwaste,andthebenefitsofreducingfoodwaste,

wouldbeanimportantfirststep.Additionalfactors,suchasshopping,cooking,andfood

storagehabits,aswellaspersonalmotivationsforhealthylivingandreducingfoodwaste,

shouldbeconsideredinthedevelopmentoffuturefoodwastereductionsocialmarketing

andeducationalprograms.

ShoppingHabits

Inthisproject,threeshoppinghabitsseemedtobeconnectedtohavinglessfoodwaste.

Makingalistjustpriortogoingonashoppingtrip,andshoppingonlyonceaweekseemed

toberelatedtolessfoodwasteintheaudit.Thesearetwoverysimplehabitsthatcouldbe

encouragedandadoptedeasilybymanyhouseholds.

Purchasingtoomuchproduceforthehouseholdtoconsumebeforeitspoiledwasalsoa

commonoccurrenceobservedinthewasteauditsandthediaries.Thiscouldbedueto

largepackagingsizes,forms,andpricingofproducebeingsoldinretailestablishments.In

somecases,themostcommonandeconomicalsizesofpackagedfoodsavailableat

supermarketsmaybesuitedforahouseholdoffourormoremembers,butmayresultin

moreAFWfora2-personhousehold.Forinstance,afamilyoftwomightfinditdifficultto

41

consumeapackofthreeEnglishcucumbersbeforetheyspoil,butatthetimeofpurchase,

thatthree-packmayseemlikethebetterdeal.Encouragingpeopletopurchasesmaller

quantitiesofperishableitemscouldbeapossiblemessagetoincludeinfutureeducation

programs.Additionally,itmaybebeneficialforsomehouseholdstoconsiderjointproduce

shoppingtripswithotherhouseholds,amongfamilyorfriends.Householdscouldsave

moneybysharingcosts,aswellassplittingeconomy-sizebags,baskets,orcratesof

produce,especiallyforfoodsthatareavailableinlargequantitieswhentheyareinseason

(e.g.,earsofcorninJuly/August).

CookingandFoodStorageHabits

SomeAFWcouldbereducedifmoreresidentsusedafreezertostorelargermealleftovers.

Infooddiaries,acommonreasongivenforfoodbeingthrownoutwasthatitspent“too

manydayssittinginthefridge.”Encouragingresidentstousethefreezerforleftovers,and

labelingfoodswiththedateofstoragecouldhelpreducetheamountsofleftoversgoing

intothegarbage.

“SometimesImadetoomuchfoodbutnotenoughtokeepforleftovers.”-35-44yroldfemale,parent

HavingaplanforleftoversbeforemakinglargermealsmayalsohelpreduceAFW.Insome

cases,leftoverswerethrownawaybecausetherewasnotenoughlefttosaveforanother

meal.Forinstance,ifextraricewasmade,planninghowitcouldbeusedinanothermeal

mayhelpwithdivertingAFWfromthegarbage.

Itisunlikelythataneducationalcampaignthatencouragesresidentstomakelessfood

wouldbeveryeffective.Itisculturallynormative,especiallyinsocialsituations,toprepare

andmakeanabundanceoffoodforfamilyandguests.However,onebehaviourthatcould

beaddressedmaybetoencourageresidentstopackageanddistributeleftoversfortake-

homeamongguests,sothatonehouseholdisnotsolelyresponsibleforeatingthe

remainingleftoverfood.Infamilysituations,morepro-activeplanningwouldbeneededto

determinewhoisgoingtousetheleftovers,andhowtheywillbeused.

42

OtherHabitsandLifestyleFactors

Overall,theprocessofparticipantscompletingafoodwastejournalprovidedconsiderable

feedbackstatingparticipants’increasedawarenessoffoodwaste,andtheirdesireto

furtherreducehouseholdfoodwaste.Participantsalsoprovidedseveralthoughtsand

commentsabouttheirbusyandcomplexlifesituations.Thesecond-mostfrequentreason

statedinthesurveyfornottryingtoreducehouseholdfoodwastewasthatparticipantsdid

notknowhoworhavethetimetoreducetheirfoodwaste.Residents’busylifestyleswould

likelyreducetheirwillingnessandabilitytoreducefoodwaste,especiallyifitmeantthat

moretimewouldbeneededforplanningandpreparation.Additionallifestyleand

socioeconomicfactorsthatwerenotwithinthescopeofthisprojectmayalsoaffect

residents’willingnessandabilitytoreducetheirfoodwaste.Furtherstudyofthesefactors

wouldlikelyberequiredtoassesswhichofthesemaybethebiggestbarrierstoovercome

inreducingAFW.Thesepreliminaryfindingsindicatethatanyfutureeducationprograms

shouldtargetsimple,easy-to-changehabitsthatdonotrequireasignificanttimeor

financialinvestmentfromresidents..

“Iwillbehappywhenschoolisfinishedasthekidsdonotwantsandwichesanymore”

-56-65yrsoldfemale

ThisstudywasconductedprimarilyinJuneandJuly.Duringthistime,thebigcalendar

eventsweretheendofschool,thestartofsummer,andtheCanadaDayweekend.Some

parentsreportedthatchildrenweregettingtiredoflunchroutines.Othersreportedthat

theyhadlargeamountsoffoodwastefrombarbecueget-togethers,andthosewhowent

campingovertheweekendhadverylittlefoodwasteathome.Lifeevents,changesin

routines,socialgatherings,andholidaysorvacationplanscananddoaffecttheamountof

foodwasteproduced,throughpurchasing,consumption,anddisposalpatterns.

PerceptionsofFoodWaste

Theresultshighlightedsomekeyperceptionsandbehavioursthatmaysignificantlyimpact

residents’willingnesstoreducehouseholdfoodwaste.Inordertodevelopaneducationor

43

socialmarketingprogramtohelpresidentsreducetheirfoodwaste,theprogramwould

needtoeffectivelyaddressconcernsandtopicsthatmattermosttoresidents.Inthisstudy,

thebiggestmotivationsbehindresidents’food-relatedbehavioursincluded:providing

healthyfoodoptionsforthemselvesandtheirchildren;havingawidevarietyoffood

options;savingmoney;andsavingtime(ornothavingenoughtime).Anyfoodwaste-

savingideasorsuggestionsthatmaybeincludedinfutureprogramsshouldbelow-cost,

involveminimaltimecommitment,andprovideresidentswithavarietyofhealthyoptions

forusingleftoversandproduce.

Anessentialcomponentofanyfutureeducationofsocialmarketingprogramforresidents

willbetoprovideinformationandtoraiseawarenessaboutthetypesoffoodwaste,the

environmentalandfinancialimpactsoffoodwaste,andtoemphasizetheimportantrole

thateachresidenthasinreducingfoodwasteonalargerscale(e.g.,overtime,onacity-

widescale).However,awarenessonitsownmaynottranslateintobehaviouralchange.A

concertedeffortovertimewouldneedtobemadetodemonstratetoresidentshoweasyit

istoreducetheirownfoodwaste,andtohighlightthebenefitsofreducingfoodwaste,

withoutsacrificingdesireforfoodquality,variety,health,oragooddealatthe

supermarket.

Conclusions Thispreliminaryresearchproject,focusedmainlyondescriptiveunivariateanalysis,was

designedtotestresearchmethodologyandtogainsomeinitialinsightstothatwillbe

helpfulfordesigningfutureresearchprojectsandeducationalcampaignsrelatedtofood

wastereduction.Thescopeofthisprojectwastofindoutwhattypesoffoodwastewere

beingdiscardedandwhy,participantsthoughtsandperceptionsaroundfoodwaste,and

behavioursthatimpactfoodwasteproductioninhouseholds.Thereareothercomplex

factors(e.g.,demographics,socioeconomics,urbangeography,culture)thatmayhave

additionalimpactsontheproductionoffoodwastebyresidents,howeverthesevariables

wereoutsideofthescopeofthisproject.Despitethesmallscaleandscopeofthisproject,

44

theresultsyieldedsomeinterestingobservationsandtrendsthatshouldbefurther

examinedwithadditionaldataanalysisorinfutureresearchprojects.

Suggestions and Recommendations for Future Research

Giventhesmallsamplesizeofthehomeinterviewandwasteaudit,inferencescannotbe

madeaboutEdmontonians’foodhabitsasawhole.Forfuturestudies,itisrecommended

thatalargerscalesurveywithrandomsamplingbeconducted,combinedwithaseriesof

sub-samplewasteaudits.Theseresultscouldbeusedtogetaclearerimageofhow

residentsacrossEdmontonpurchase,store,cook,use,anddisposeoffood-relatedwaste.

Recommendations for Data Analysis

Thisreportonlyprovidedsummariesofdatafromeachoftheprojectcomponents.

Datasetsshouldbefurtheranalysedwithstatisticalsoftware(e.g.,SPSSorSTATA)tofind

bivariateandmultivariaterelationships,aswellastotestthestrengthofthose

relationships.Thewasteauditandhomeinterviewdata,whencombined,couldproduce

interestingresultsinregardstohowshoppinghabitsrelatetoFRWandhowhousehold

sizefactorsintoFRW.

Wastediarydatashouldalsobecomparedandcorrelatedwithhomeinterviewandwaste

auditdataforanalysis.Duetotimeconstraintsduringthisphaseoftheproject,itwasnot

possibletocombinethewastediarydatawiththedatafromtheinterviewandwasteaudit

forthisreport.Oncedataarecombined,itmaybepossibletofurtheranalyzeifandhow

keepingafoodwastediaryaffectedtheresultsfromthediary.Participantswhocompleted

diarieswereawarewhentheirjournalresultswouldbecollectedandanalyzed.However,

participantsdidnotknowexactlywhentheirwasteauditswouldtakeplace.Theresults

andtrendsfromthediaryandwasteauditdatamaythereforediffer.

Recommendations for Data Collection

Forfuturedatacollection,afullrangeofdemographicinformation,includinggender,

income,occupation,andeducation,isrecommended.Thesevariablescouldprovidefurther

45

insightregardingpatternsandcorrelationsseeninthedata,aswellasadditionalfactors

thatmayaffectfoodwasteproduction.

Recommendations for Further Development of Research Tools

1) UserInterfaceoftheGISMapandSurveyKeepingtrackofthetotalhousesvisited.Thereisanaccuratecountofhowmany

residentsansweredthedoorduringcanvassingforsurveys,butthereisnotanaccurate

recordofhowmanyhouseswerevisitedintotal.Forfutureprojects,itisrecommended

thatatotalcountofhousescanvassedbetrackedandrecorded.

Includingopt-outfunctionsintosurveyquestions.Theabilitytoskipquestionsinthe

surveyresultedinmissingdata.Primarilythisoccurredwiththequestion“Doyouhave

children17yearsandunderlivingathome?”Addinga“Prefernottosay”optionwouldbe

preferablethanhavingincompletedataforresidences.

2)HomeInterviews

Participantswhotookpartinthehomeinterviewwereoftenconfusedbythewordingof

Question52(Section6,Question4):“Which(ifany)ofthefollowingreasonspreventyour

householdfromtryingtoreducetheamountoffoodthatisthrownaway?”Themajorityof

listedstatementswereposedinwaythatmaybecountertothevaluesofparticipants,and

mayneedtoberewordedinfutureinterviewsforclarity.

Somequestionsneededtobepulledapartbecausetheywereaskingaboutmorethanone

food-relatedbehaviour.Forexample,Section6,question1:“Towhatextentdoyou

currentlydoanyofthefollowingtominimizethatamountoffoodandfood-relatedwaste

thatyourhouseholdthrowsaway?”Responsesincludedbuyinginbulkandbuyingfood

withlesspackaging.Somerespondentsansweredthattheydidtrytobuyfoodwithless

packagingbutnotparticularlybulksectionproducts.Anotherquestionthatcouldhave

beenpulledapartwasfromthedoorstepsurvey(SectionB,QuestionB2):“Doyouhavea

backyardcomposterorwormbinforcompostingfoodscraps?”Bypullingthisquestion

46

apartintotwoseparatequestions,therecouldbemoredetailedinformationabout

percentagesofparticipantsthatusedifferenttypesofcomposters.

Thereweresomedefinitionsthatwerenotunderstooduniversally.Inparticular,theterm

“fromscratch”wassometimesnotunderstoodbypeoplewhospokeEnglishasasecond

language.Aswell,wordssuchas“expired”haddifferentmeaningsforpeople,andrequired

furtherdefinitionandexplanation.Alternatewordingmayneedtobeconsideredinfuture

surveys,toensureparticipantsfullyunderstandthequestions.

47

References CityofEdmonton.(2011).TheWayWeGreen:TheCityofEdmonton’sEnvironmental

StrategicPlan.CityofEdmonton.Retrievedfromhttp://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/documents/PDF/TheWayWeGreen-approved.pdf(accessedAug15,2016)

CityofEdmonton.(2016).CollectionSafetyTips.CityofEdmonton.Retrievedfromhttp://www.edmonton.ca/residential_neighbourhoods/garbage_recycling_waste/waste-collection-safety-tips.aspx(accessedAug15,2016)

EndPovertyEdmonton.(2015).Endpovertyinageneration:Astrategy.EndPovertyEdmonton.Retrievedfromhttp://static1.squarespace.com/static/54eb5df3e4b0904aceb80bc4/t/56705e1569492e2ff76c460a/1450204693098/EPE_Strategy_Dec2015_WEB_v5.pdf(accessedAug15,2016)

FoodandAgricultureOrganization.(2011).Globalfoodlossesandfoodwaste–Extent,causesandprevention.FoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations,Rome.Retrievedfromhttp://www.fao.org/docrep/014/mb060e/mb060e.pdf(accessedAug15,2016)

FoodSecurityCanada.(2015).FoodSecurityMoreSeriousthanAcknowledgedbyStatsCan:HouseholdFoodInsecurityInCanada2012.Retrievedfromhttp://foodsecurecanada.org/resources-news/news-media/food-security-more-serious-acknowledged-stats-can(accessedAug15,2016)

Gooch,M.V.,Felfel,A.,&Glasbey,C.(2014).“$27Billion”revisited:ThecostofCanada’sannualfoodwaste.ValueChainManagementInternational.Retrievedfromhttp://vcm-international.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Food-Waste-in-Canada-27-Billion-Revisited-Dec-10-2014.pdf(accessedAug15,2016)

Kelleher,M.,&Robbins,J.(2013).Whatiswastefood?BioCycle,54(8),36.Retrievedfromhttp://www.biocycle.net/2013/08/20/what-is-waste-food(accessedAug15,2016)

Marsh,P.(reporter)(2015,June8).FoodwasteinDenmarkdownby25percent.OnlinePost.Retrievedfromhttp://cphpost.dk/news/food-waste-in-denmark-down-by-25-percent.html(accessedAug15,2016)

48

NationalZeroWasteCouncil(2015).AtaxincentivetopreventfoodwasteinCanada.NZWC,IssuesBrief,Fall2015.http://www.nzwc.ca/food/FoodIncentives/NZWCTaxIncentiveBriefingNotice.pdf(accessedAug19,2016)

Neff,R.A.,Spiker,M.L,,Truant,P.L.(2015).Wastedfood:U.S.consumers'reported

awareness,attitudes,andbehaviors.PLoSONE,10(6),e0127881.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0127881(accessedAug15,2016)

Tarasuk,V.(reporter)(2015,Nov2).Donating‘ediblewaste’tofoodbanksinexchangefortaxcredit?Nowthat’sarubbishidea.GlobeandMail.Retrievedfromhttp://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/donating-edible-waste-to-food-banks-in-exchange-for-tax-credit-now-thats-a-rubbish-idea/article27064689/(accessedAug15,2016)

UnitedStatesCompostingCouncil.(2012).USCCpositionstatement:Keepingorganicsoutoflandfills.USCompostingCouncil,July18,2012.Retrievedfromhttp://compostingcouncil.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Keeping-Organics-Out-of-Landfills-POSITION-STATEMENT-Final-7-18-12.pdf(accessedAug15,2016)

WasteandResourcesActionProgramme[WRAP].(2009).Finalreport:HouseholdfoodanddrinkwasteintheUK.WRAP,UK.Retrievedfromhttp://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Household_food_and_drink_waste_in_the_UK_-_report.pdf(accessedAug15,2016)

WasteandResourcesActionProgramme[WRAP].(2013).ExecutiveSummary:HouseholdfoodanddrinkwasteintheUK2012.WRAP,UK.Retrievedfromhttp://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/hhfdw-2012-summary.pdf(AccessedAug15,2016)

49

List of Figures Figure1:WastecollectionareasinEdmonton.Thesectionshighlightedingreenrepresenttheareasfromwhichneighbourhoodswereselectedfortheproject.

Figure2:Distributionofparticipants’agesindoorstepsurvey.

Figure3:Distributionofhouseholdsizesforparticipantsindoorstepsurvey.

Figure4:Distributionofhouseholdswithchildrenunder18yearsofageindoorstepsurvey.

Figure5:Responsestothedoorstepsurveyquestion:“Inthepastyear,howoftenhaveyoutriedtoreducetheamountofwastefoodinyourhousehold?”

Figure6:Responsestothedoorstepsurveyquestion:“Ifyouhaven’ttriedtoreducefoodwasteinyourhousehold,whynot?”

Figure7:Percentagesofdoorstepsurveyparticipantswhohadagardenandpracticedhomecomposting.

Figure8:Distributionofagesofparticipantsinterviewed.

Figure9:Distributionofhouseholdsizesforparticipantsinterviewed.

Figure10:Distributionofhouseholdswithchildrenunder18yearsofage.

Figure11:Responsestotheinterviewquestion:“Inthepastyear,howoftenhaveyoutriedtoreducetheamountofwastedfoodinyourhousehold?”

Figure12:Responsestotheinterviewquestion:“Ifyouhaven’ttriedtoreducefoodwasteinyourhousehold,whynot?”

Figure13:Percentagesofinterviewparticipantswhohaveagardenandpracticehomecomposting.

Figure14:Responsestotheinterviewquestion:“Howoftendoesyourhouseholdgoonamainshoppingtripforgroceries?”

Figure15:Responsestotheinterviewquestion:“BEFOREyougoonamainshoppingtrip,doyouusually:keepawrittenlist,makealistpriortoshopping,memorizewhatyouneedorhaveageneralideaofwhattobuy?”

Figure16:Typesoffoodwaste(FW)inthehousehold.Responsestothequestion:“Overthepasttwoweeks,howmuchofthefollowingfoodtypeshasyourhouseholdthrownaway(eitherinyourgarbage,compostpile,downthesink,orfedtopets)incomparisontohouseholdsyoursize?”

Figure17:Typesofavoidable(AFW)andunavoidable(UFW)foodwasteinthehousehold.Responsestothequestion:“Overthepasttwoweeks,howmuchofthefollowingtypesoffoodrelatedwastehas

50

yourhouseholdthrownaway(eitherinyourgarbage,compostpile,downthesink,orfedtopets)incomparisontohouseholdsyoursize?”

Figure18:Responsestothequestion:“Which(ifany)ofthefollowingreasonspreventyourhouseholdfromtryingtoreducetheamountoffoodthatisthrownaway?”

Figure19:Responsestothequestion:“Thinkaboutfactorsthatmightencourageyourhouseholdtoreducefoodwaste.Towhatextentdoanyofthefollowinghaveanimpactonyouractions?”

Figure20:Citystaffconductingfoodwasteaudit.

Figure21:Weightoffood-relatedwaste(FRW)ingarbageforeachhouseholdbyneighbourhood.

Figure22:Percentageoffood-relatedwaste(FRW)ingarbagebyneighbourhood,asapercentageofthetotalweightofFRWacrossallthreeneighbourhoods.

Figure23:Percentagesofthesixcategoriesoffood-relatedwaste(FRW)foundingarbage(recyclingnotincluded).Resultsincludeallneighbourhoodsandallhouseholds.

Figure24:Percentagesofediblefoodandfoodinpackaging(twocategoriesofavoidablefoodwaste,AFW)foundingarbage.

Figure25:Amountoftotalfoodwaste(FW)(includesavoidableandunavoidable)thrownawaybyhouseholds,asreportedinone-weekfoodwastediaries,separatedbyneighbourhood.

Figure26:Percentagesoftotalfoodwaste(FW)(includesavoidableandunavoidable)thrownawaybyhouseholds,asreportedinone-weekfoodwastediaries,separatedbyneighbourhood.

Figure27:Percentagesoftotalfoodwaste(FW)thrownawaybyhouseholds,asreportedinone-weekfoodwastediaries.Resultsincludeallneighbourhoods.

Figure28:Mostcommontypesofavoidablefoodwaste(AFW),basedonthefrequencytheywerereportedbeingthrownaway,inone-weekfoodwastediaries(allhouseholds)Figure29:Volumesofavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)foodthrownaway,asreportedinone-weekfoodwastediaries(allhouseholds)

Figure30:Reasonsforavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)foodthrownaway,asreportedinone-weekfooddiaries(allhouseholds)

Figure31:Participantperceptionsofhouseholdfoodwaste,comparedwithactualAFWobservedduringwasteaudit,observedamongstparticipantswhostatedtheyproducedverylittleornofoodwaste.

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List of Tables

Table1:Numbersandpercentagesofparticipantsinvolvedwithprojectcomponents.

Table2:Averagesandrangesofavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)andfood-relatedwaste(FRW),groupedbydateofwastecollection.

Table3:Averagesandrangesofavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)andfood-relatedwaste(FRW),groupedbysizeofhousehold.

Table4:Averagesandrangesofavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)andfood-relatedwaste(FRW),groupedbypresenceofchildrenunder18yearsofage.

Table5:Averagesandrangesofavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)andfood-relatedwaste(FRW),groupedbythepresenceofmorethan2adults.

Table6:Averagesandrangesofavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)andfood-relatedwaste(FRW),groupedbyfrequencyofshoppingtrips.

Table7:Averagesandrangesofavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)andfood-relatedwaste(FRW),groupedbyshoppinglisthabits.

Table8:Averagesandrangesofavoidablefoodwaste(AFW)andhome-compostablefoodwaste,incompostingandnon-compostinghouseholds.

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Appendices

AppendixA:DoorstepSurveyandResults0.1Date:_____________________________________________________0.2Neighbourhood:_____________________________________________0.3StreetAddress:_____________________________________________Hello,I’m___(Name)___,I’mwiththeCityofEdmonton’sWasteManagementServices.We’reinyourneighbourhoodtodayconductingapilotstudyonfoodwastehabitsandperceptions.Doyouhavetimetocompleteathreeminutesurveywithme?Areyouabletospendafewminutestotakeoursurvey?

YesNo/NotInterested

Byfoodwastewearetalkingaboutfood,solidsandliquids,thatendupinthegarbage.Thisincludestablescraps,vegetableandmeattrimmingsandfoodthathasgonebad.Basedonpreviousstudies,weknowthatabout47%offoodwasteinCanadaiscreatedbyresidents.InEdmonton,42%ofhouseholdgarbageisfoodwaste.TheissueoffoodwasteisbecomingincreasinglyimportantformanycitiesinCanadaandaroundtheworld.FoodWasteInformation(A)A1.Beforetoday,haveyoueverheardoftheterm“foodwaste”

YesNoNotsure/Don’tknow…

A2.DoyouthinkthatfoodwasteisanissueinCanada?


A3.DoyouthinkthatfoodwasteisanissueinEdmonton?

Yes

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NoNotsure/Don’tknow…

A4.Withinthelast12months,haveyouheardanynewsaboutfoodwaste?


A5.IfYES,wheredidyouhearaboutfoodwaste?(selectallthatapply) a)Newspaper

b)TVc)CommunityNewsletterd)FreePaperse)Radiof)Socialmediag)E-newsoremail

h)Other:_____________________________________________________________

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A6.Withinthelast12months,howoftenhaveyouthoughtaboutwastedfoodinyourhousehold?

Yes--atleastonceaweekYes--atleastonceamonthNo--AfewtimesayearNo--NeverDon’tknow

A7.Withinthelast12months,howoftenhaveyoutriedtoreducetheamountofwastedfoodinyourhousehold?

Yes--atleastonceaweekYes--atleastonceamonthNo--AfewtimesayearNo--NeverDon’tknow

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A8.(Iftheyanswer"No"inthelastquestion)Whichofthesixstatementsthatbestdescribesyou?

1. I'dliketotrybutIdon'tknowhowordon'thavetime.2. Thecitycompostsorganicwaste/foodsnaturallybreakdowninlandfills3. Foodwasteisunavoidable,Idon'tthinkabout,ortrytoreducefoodwaste4. Weneverhavefoodwaste.5. Weonlyhaveabitofwastedfood.6. Icompostandusefoodwasteformylawnandgarden.

A8a.Other:_______________________________________________________________

AboutYourHousehold(B)B1.Doyouhaveahomegardenorgardenplotwhereyougrowfoodforpersonalconsumption?

YesNo

B1a.Other:________________________________________________________________

B2.Doyouhaveabackyardcomposterorwormbinforcompostingfoodscraps?

YesNo

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B3.Doyougogroceryshoppingonceormoreperweek?

YesNo

B3a.Other:_________________________________________________________________

B4.Areyoutheprimaryshopperand/orcookinyourhousehold?

YesNo--someoneelseisIsharetheresponsibilityequallywithanother

B4a.Other:_________________________________________________________________

B5.Howoftendoesyourhouseholdcookandeatathome?

Everydayormorethanhalftheweek**2-3timesperweek**61-2timesperweekAfewtimespermonthRarelyoronspecialoccasions

6**Onlythosewhoansweredwiththeseresponseswereinvitedtoparticipateinthein-personinterview

57

Never

Demographics(C)C1.Howlonghaveyoulivedatthisresidence?

Lessthan1year1-2years3-5years**Morethan5years**

C2.Doyouownorrent?

OwnRent

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C3.Howmanymembers(includingyourself)arelivingwithinyourhousehold? OpenQuestion

C4.Arethereanychildrenunder17inyourhousehold?

YesNo

C5.Howwouldyoudescribeyourmaritalstatus?

Single/NeverMarriedMarried/Common-LawSeparated/DivorcedWidowed

C5a.Other_______________________________

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C6.Whatisyouragerange?

18-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475+

Offeroflongerinterview(D)D1)Thankyoufortakingthetimetoanswerourquestionstoday.Basedonyourresponses,wewouldbeinterestedininterviewingyoumorein-depth.Aninpersoninterviewwouldbeabout45minuteslongandtakeplaceinalocationofyourchoosing.YouwouldbecompensatedforyourtimewithafamilypasstotheMuttartConservatoryortheValleyZooortwobooksofbustickets.Wouldthatbesomethingthatwouldinterestyou?

YesNo

D2)CanIscheduleyounoworshouldIcontactyoulatertoscheduleadateandtime?

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Schedulenow Call/emailmeD3:InterviewSchedulerdate:____________________________________________D4.InterviewSchedulertime:____________________________________________D5.Name:___________________________________________________________Whatisthebestwaytocontactyou?D6.Phone:___________________________________________________________D7.PhoneAlternate:___________________________________________________D8:Email:____________________________________________________________D9:Whatisthebesttimetoreachyou?(Day/Eve/Weekend)

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AppendixB:FoodWasteInterviewandResultsSection1:DemographicInformation(A)

A01.Howlonghaveyoulivedatthisresidence?1-2years3-5yearsMorethan5yearsPrefernottosay/Other

A02.Whatisthetotalnumberofresidentsinyourhousehold?

A03.Whatistheagerangeofadult(s)inyourhousehold?

18-24yrs25-34yrs35-44yrs45-54yrs55-64yrs65-74yrs75+yrsN/APrefernottosay

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A04.Whatistheemploymentstatusofadult(s)inyourhousehold?

StudentHomemakerWorkPart-time(1-30hrs/wk)WorkFull-Time(30+hrs/week)UnemployedRetiredPermanentlyunabletoworkOtherPrefernottosay

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A05.Arethereanychildren(under18years)inyourhousehold?

A. YesB. NoC. Prefernottosay

A06.Whatis/aretheagerange(s)ofthechild(ren)inyourhousehold?

A. 0-5yrsB. 6-10yrs

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C. 11-14yrsD. 15-17yrsE. NoneF. Prefernottosay

Section2:ShoppingHabits(B)B1a.Towhatextentareyouresponsibleforfoodshoppingforyourhousehold?

AllormostofitAbouthalfofitLessthanhalfofitVerylittleornotatallPrefernottosay

B1b.Ifyoudolessthanhalfoftheshopping,isthereanotherpersoninyourhouseholdthatisprimarilyresponsibleforfoodshopping?

YesNo

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B1c.Ifyouanswered"Yes"tothepreviousquestion,whatisthisperson'srelationshiptoyou?(Open)

B2.Whenitcomestoshopping,selectthestatementthatbestdescribesyourhousehold:

I/WebuyallormostofthefoodinonemainshoppingtripI/Webuyatleasthalfofthefoodinonetrip,andmakesmallerin-betweentripsfortherest.I/Wemakeseveral,smallshoppingtripsPrefernottosay

B3.Inyourownwords,couldyoudescribeformethelastgroceryshoppingtripyoumade?TypesofStores

Code Frequency Definition

MediumtoLargeSupermarket 34 IncludingSafeway,Superstore,Save-OnFoods,Sobey's.

Warehouse-typeStores 5 IncludingCostco,TheGroceryPeople,andotherwarehouse-typestores.

SpecialtyStore 4 Storesspecializinginproduce,ethnicfoods,importedfoods,deliitems,orbakedgoods.

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Didnotspecifytypeofstore 23 Theintervieweedidnotspecifythetypeofstoretheywereshoppingatinthisinstance.

TypesofProducts


Produce 41 Vegetables,fruit,andherbs.

Dairy 24 Milk,icecream,cheese,andotherdairyproducts.

DryGoods 6 Driedgoodsincludepasta,crackers,rice,beans,andsimilarproducts.

Meat,Fish,and/orEggs 20 Includingfresh/rawandfrozenmeatandfish.

Juice,Pop,orOtherNon-DairyBeverages 3 Beverages,notincludingmilk.

CannedGoods 3 Storeboughtcannedgoodssuchasfruit,chili,orcorn.

BakeryProducts 14 Includesbread,muffins,pastries,anddesserts.

Didnotspecifytypeofproducts 11 Theintervieweedidnotspecifythetypeproductstheypurchased.

Whowent


Household 60 Familyandroommateslivinginthehouseholdinquestion.

OtherFamily 1 Familylivingoutsidethehouseholdinquestion.

Didnotspecifywhodidtheshopping 3 Theintervieweedidnotspecifythepeoplewhowereshopping.

Whoitwasfor


Household 61 Familyandroommateslivinginthehouseholdinquestion.

OtherFamily 4 Familylivingoutsidethehouseholdinquestion.

Didnotspecifywhoshoppingwasfor 3 Theintervieweedidnotspecifywhothegrocerieswerefor.

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VerbatimResponses

Sec2Q3.Inyourownwords,couldyoudescribeformethelastgroceryshoppingtripyoumade?

1 WewenttoSave-OnFoodstobuymilkandalsopickedupbananasandtea.

2 Wehadtobuymeatandveggiesforchilliatagathering.

3 WewenttoCostcoforfruits,vegetables,andothermiscellaneousitems.

4 WewenttoSuperstoretobuytoiletriesandthenonthewayhomewestoppedatSave-OnFoodsforfruitandon-salepop.

5 IwenttoSobey'swithmypartnerandroommatetogetgroundbeef,tomatoes,cheese,andtacoshellsfordinner.

6 Wewentshoppingforfreshproduceandformymotherinlaw;weshopweeklyforbothofus.

7 WewenttoH&Wspecialtystoreforacoupledaysworthofproduce.

8 IwentwithmyhusbandtoSave-On-Foodsandboughtabout1weekworthofgroceries,mainlyproduce.

9 WewenttoSobey'sandbought6bagsofgroceriesincludingmeat,produce,cannedgoods,bakerygoods,toiletries,andpetfood.

10 Notapplicable

11 Everytwomonthswestockuponlaundrysoap,cleaningsupplies,papertowelsupplies,meatsandcondimentsitisourbigshoppingtrip.Inbetweenwegoweeklyandshopaccordingtothesalesintheflyers.

12 Wewenttogetproduce.

13 IwenttogetthingsIforgotinthebigshoppingtrip,includinggroceriesanddiapers.

14 Yesterday,IwenttoSobey'stobuyproduce.

15 WewenttoSave-OnFoodstoboughtmilkandfruit.

16 WewentonFridaytoNoFrillsandboughtmeat,produce,milk,andbakeryproducts.

17 TodayIgotpotatoesfromSobeys.Weweregoingtoeatpotatoesandicheckedthepantrytofindtherewerenone,soIranouttothestore.

18 WewenttoWalmarttobuymeatandproduce.

19 WewenttoaproducemarketwhereIpickedupaweek’sworthofproducethentoamediumtolargesupermarkettopickupeggs,milk,etc.

20 ThewholefamilywenttoWal-Martandgotmeat,veggies,fruits.

21 WewentSobey'stobuyfruits,vegetables,anddairyproducts.

22 Mypartnerwentonherweeklyshoppingtripwithhermomandpurchasedproduceandmilk.

23 WewenttoCostcoformilkandcameoutwithlotsmore.

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24 WewenttoCostcoandboughtvegetables,rice,bread,fruit.

25 WewenttoSafewaytobuybreadandmilk.

26 WewenttoSuperstoreandboughtmilk,veggies,andsomeham.

27 WewenttoH&Wproduceforfreshvegetablesandfruit.

28 TodayIwenttoH&Wforherbs,vegetables,fruits,andbread.

29 YesterdaywewenttoSuperstoreandSave-OnFoodstogetproduce,dairy,anddrygoods.

30 Wegotabagofbunsforhamburgers.

31 WewenttoSobeystobuybread,toothpaste,andwine.

32 IwenttoNofrillsanddidmyweeklyshopforeverything.

33 YesterdayIwenttoSuperstoreforproduce,meat,somecannedgoods.

34 WewenttoCostcoandWalmart;Costcoforboxedstuff(likegrocery)andthenWalmartforfreshstuff(deli,milk,juice).

35 WewenttoSobey'sforvegetables,milk,breadandfruits.

36 WewenttoWal-Martforbottledwater,fruits,veggies,anddairy.Itwasasmalltripthattotalledapproximately$100.

37 Wejustboughtfoodfortheweek,basicstuffforlunchanddinner.

38 WewenttoSuperstoreforpastaandmeatsinbulk,sauces,etc.WegetfreshproducefromSuperstoreorSobey's.

39 Wetookashortrunouttobuysomeoddsandendsfood,likemilkandbutter.

40 Todaywegotbabyformulaandsomedessertforadinnerpartytonight.

41 Wewentononeofthesmallertripsforbabyitemsandproduce.

42 WetookaquickruntotheSuperstore.

43 WewenttoSuperstoreforfruit,veggiesandmeat.

44 WewenttoSobey'sforafewingredientsforthedishwewerecookingthatnight.

45 OnourlasttripmyhusbandwenttoCostcotopickupavarietyoffood,mainlygroceryandsomeproduce.Wemadeasmallaswelltogetmilkandbananas.

46 OnSaturdayandSundaywewentforproduceandmeat.

47 WentovertoCo-Optogettomatoesandcucumbers,becauseweforgotthematSuperstore.

48 WewenttoSave-OnFoodstobuyitemsonsale;includinghouseholditems,somegifts,candy,coffee,andcleaningsupplies.

49 Wewentforsauerkraut,cheese,milk,andpharmacyitems.

50 NotApplicable

51 Wewentthismorningto10%TuesdaytogetallourfoodforabigeventonJune29.

52 Ontheweekendweshoppedat2stores:Save-OnFoodsformostitemsandSobey'sforafewotheritems.

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53 Iwasn'ttheresoIdon'tknow.

54 Wewentasateamandshoppedforusandourmother.Weboughtdairy,meat,fruit,veggies.

55 WewenttotheWal-MartSuperCentreandgotfoodfortwoweeks,includinghamburger,chicken,pasta,sauces,potatoes,veggies(lettuce,cucumber,tomatoes,mushrooms,onions),andfruit(watermelon,oranges).

56 MywifewentonSundayformeat,bread,vegetables,andfruit.

57 Wewentthismorningjustformilkandeggs.

58 Ionlydooneshoppingtripeverytwoweeks.Iwentforeverythingbutmostlyfruits,vegetables,meat,anddairy.Ialsogotsomecannedstuffincludingbeansandcornforchili.

59 WewenttobuymilkatCo-op.

60 TodayIboughtmilk,bread,fruits,andvegetables.

61 WewenttoSave-on-Foodsandboughtmostlyproduce.

62 Halfanhouragowegotafewthingsonthelistandacoupleextrathingsfordinner.

63 Iboughtbread,icecream,cream,milk,vegetables,somemeat,andpotatochipsforthegrandkid.

64 WewenttoSave-OnFoodsPurchasedmostlyproduce,chicken,andafewbreaditems.B4.Howoftendoesyourhouseholdgoonamainshoppingtripforgroceries?

MorethanonceaweekOnceperweekOnceeverytwoweeksOncepermonthOnceeverytwomonthsRarelyorneverPrefernottosay

B5.Thinkaboutyourlastbighouseholdshoppingtrip.Didyoucheckyourfridge,freezerand/orcupboardstoseeifyouhadanyofthefollowingbeforeyouwentshopping?

FreshVegetablesFreshBreadandBakeryProductsFreshFruitsFreshMeatorFishMilkandDairyProducts

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FreshPre-MadeMealsandDeliItemsCanned,Dried,andPreservedFoodFrozenFoodsDryGoods(e.g.,pasta,crackers,rice,beans)IdidnotcheckforanyoftheseitemsOther/Don’tknow/Prefernottosay

B6.Atwhattype(s)ofstoresdoyouusually(50%ormoreofthetime)shopforgroceries?

Farmer'smarketsSpecialtyshops(e.g.,ethnicfoods,importedfoods,smalldelis/bakeries)BulkStores(e.g.,BulkBarn)Warehouse-typestores(e.g.,Costco,TheGroceryPeople)StoresspecializinginhealthfoodproductsandorganicfoodMediumtolargesupermarkets(e.g.,Safeway,Superstore,Save-OnFoods,Sobey's)LocalcornerstoresandconveniencestoresOnline/directdeliveryservices(e.g.,OrganicBox,GroceryLink)IdonotshopatanyoftheselocationsPrefernottosay

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B7.Howoftenisyourshoppinglistdeterminedbythemealsyouhavedecidedtoprepareorcookathome?

AllormostofthetimeSomeofthetimeOccasionally/RarelyNeverPrefernottosayWecheckthesefirsttokeepthehousewellstockedCookwhat’sonhand

B8.BEFOREyougoonamainshoppingtrip,doyouusually:

KeeparunninglistofneededitemsandtakeitwithyouMakealistjustbeforeyougoandtakeitwithyouKeepaspecificlistofitemsyouneedtobuyinyourhead(nowrittenlist)Haveageneralideaofthingsyouneedtobuy(nowrittenlist)Havenoplanaheadoftime.Whenshopping,youbuybasedonwhatyoufindorwantatthattime.Prefernottosay

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B9.Thinkaboutyourlastmainshoppingtrip.Howmuchofthefoodyouboughtwaspre-made,orconveniencefooditemsthatrequiredlittleornopreparationbeforeserving?

AllormostofmygroceriesAbouthalfofmygroceriesLessthanhalfmygroceriesOnlyafewitemsIdidn'tpurchaseanypre-madeitemsPrefernottosay

B10.Thinkaboutyourlastmainshoppingtrip.Selectthestatementthatmostappliestoyou:

Iboughtallormostoftheitemsonmylist,butNOextraitemsIboughtallormostoftheitemsonmylist,ANDafewextraitemsIboughtSOMEoftheitemsonmylist,butNOextraitemsIboughtSOMEoftheitemsonmylist,ANDsomeextraitemsIdecidedwhattobuyasIshoppedIusuallybuythesamethingseachweekDon'tknow/Can'trememberPrefernottosay

B11.Wouldyousayyourfoodpurchases(types,quantities,brands)areinfluencedbyothers?Thiscouldincludefriends,family,andmembersofyourhousehold.

Influence


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Yes 39 Ourpurchasesareinfluencedbyothermembersofthehousehold,familyoutsidethehousehold,and/orfriends.

No 25 Ourpurchasesarenotinfluencedbyanyoneotherthanthepersonshopping.

TypesofMainInfluences


Household 37 Othermembersofourhouseholdinfluenceourpurchases.

Friends 12 Friendsinfluenceourpurchases.

Family 17 Familyinfluencesourpurchases.

None 25 Ourpurchasesarenotinfluencedbyothers.

TypesofOtherInfluences


Brands 7 Brandsinfluenceourpurchases.

Activities 2 Ourpurchasesareinfluencedbyactivitiesweplantotakepartin.

LocalFood 2 Originofproductsinfluencesourpurchases.

Season 1 Ourpurchaseschangebasedontheseason.

ReligiousPreferences 1 Religiouspreferencesinfluenceourpurchases.

Cost 1 Costinfluencesourpurchases.

Organic 1 Availabilityoforganicfoodsinfluencesourpurchases.

Fresh 1 Freshnessinfluencesourpurchases.

Nootherinfluencesdescribed 49 Theintervieweedidnotdescribeanyotherinfluencesbeyondhousehold,family,andfriends.

Sec2Q11.Wouldyousayyourfoodpurchases(types,quantities,brands)areinfluencedbyothers?Thiscouldincludefriends,family,andmembersofyourhousehold.

VerbatimResponses

1 No,ourpurchasesarenotinfluencedbyothers.


3 Yes,ourfriendsinfluenceourpurchases.

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4 Yes,othermembersofourhouseholdinfluenceourpurchases.Ifaneventishappening,thatwillalsoaffectourpurchases.

5 Yes,othermembersofourhouseholdinfluenceourpurchases.

6 Yes,othermembersofourhouseholdandfamilyinfluenceourpurchases.Wemakesuretobuythebrandswelikebutwealsoshopformymother-in-law.

7 No,ourpurchasesarenotinfluencedbyothers.Wepreferqualitylocalfoodratherthanbigbrands.




11 Yes,friendsandfamilyinfluenceourpurchaseswhenbuyingnewspecialtyitems.

12 Yes,othermembersofourhouseholdinfluenceourpurchases.WebuywhitebreadalthoughIdon'tlikeit,becauseeveryoneelseinthehousedoes.

13 Yes,othermembersofourhouseholdandfamilyinfluenceourpurchases.MysistertoldusthatHeinzwasnolongerCanadian,soweswitchedtoFrench'sketchup.

14 Yes,ourpurchasesareinfluencedbyfriendsandothermembersofourhousehold.


16 Yes,othermembersofourhouseholdinfluenceourpurchases.Myelderlyparentslivehereandtheyhavereligiousfoodpreferences.Wealsohavetobuycertainproductsforournewbabyandforourdaughterwhowon'tbeneedingschoollunchesoverthesummer.

17 Yes,othermembersofourhouseholdandfamilyinfluenceourpurchases.IdomostoftheshoppingbutI'msuretoconsidermywife'sbrandpreferencesaswellasthatofourgrandkidsiftheyarecomingtovisit.

18 Yes,othermembersofourhouseholdandfamilyinfluenceourpurchases.







25 No,ourpurchasesarenotinfluencedbyothers.Costinfluencesourpurchases.



28 Yes,othermembersofourhouseholdandfamilyinfluenceourpurchases.


30 Yes,othermembersofourhouseholdinfluenceourpurchases.Mydaughtergetssaladeventhoughwedon'treallylikeit.

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32 Yes,othermembersofourhouseholdandfamilyinfluenceourpurchases.About33%ofmyshoppingisinfluencedbyfamily.

33 Yes,othermembersofourhousehold,family,and/orfriendsinfluenceourpurchases,specificallywithethnicfoods.

34 Yes,othermembersofourhousehold,family,and/orfriendsinfluenceourpurchases.Brandsalsoinfluenceourpurchases;wepreferHeinzketchupandavoidno-namesaladdressing.

35 Yes,othermembersofourhousehold,family,and/orfriendsinfluenceourpurchases,butIusuallyknowwhattobuy.


37 Yes,othermembersofourhousehold,family,and/orfriendsinfluenceourpurchases.Brandsalsoinfluenceourpurchases.







44 Yes,othermembersofourhousehold,family,and/orfriendsinfluenceourpurchases.

45 Yes,othermembersofourhouseholdandfamilyinfluenceourpurchases.Wegetspecialcookiesforourgrandsonandglutenfreefrozendinnersforwhenourdaughtervisits.














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61 Yes,othermembersofourhousehold,family,and/orfriendsinfluenceourpurchases.Webuymostlyorganicproductsandfreshproductsinsteadofregularprocessedfoodsandgrocery.

62 Yes,othermembersofourhousehold,family,and/orfriendsinfluenceourpurchases,especiallywithHeinzketchup.


64 Yes,othermembersofourhouseholdinfluenceourpurchases.B12.Thinkaboutyourhousehold'shabitsinregardstobuyingadditionalfoodasaresultofdiscountsandspecialoffers.WhichofthefollowingstatementsMOSTappliestoyou?

Itrytobuyfoodonsaleallormostofthetime(discountsandspecialoffers),evenifit'snotsomethingIusuallybuy.Ioftenbuyfoodonsalewhentherearespecialoffers,buttendtoavoiddiscountedfood.Itrytobuydiscountedfood,buttendtoavoidspecialoffers.Iwillonlybuyfoodonsale(discountsand/orspecialoffers)ifit'ssomethingIusuallybuy.Irarelyorneverbuyfoodonsale.Prefernottosay

Section2A:BuyingDiscountedFood(B)B13.Followingupfromthepreviousquestion:whatis/arethemainfactor(s)thatdetermineif/whenyouBUYdiscountedfood?

Ifthefood(e.g.,fruit,cannedorboxedgoods)lookstobeinverygoodcondition,withnodamage.IfIthinkIcanuseitallbythe"bestbefore"date.Ifit'ssomethingIusuallybuy.Ifit'ssomethingIdon'tusuallybuybecauseit'stooexpensive.Iwillbuyfruitsandvegetablesthatareoddlyshaped.Iwillbuyfruitsandvegetableswithsoftspots.Iwillbuyfruitsandvegetableswithbruises.Other/Prefernottosay.

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B14.Inyourhousehold,whatusuallyhappenstoextrafoodpurchasedasaresultofdiscountsand/orspecialoffers?

Mostorallofitiseaten.Abouthalfiseaten,halfisthrownaway.Mostoftheextrafoodisthrownaway(spoilsbeforeitcanbefullyused).IusuallybuylessofsomethingelsethatIhadintendedtobuy.IusuallywaituntilthefoodisfullyconsumedbeforeIbuythatsameitemagain.Don'tknow/Can'tremember.PrefernottosayOther

Section2B:AvoidingDiscountedFood(B)B15.Followingupfromthepreviousquestion:whatis/arethemainfactor(s)thatdetermineif/whenyouAVOIDdiscountedfood?

Ifthefood(e.g.,fruit,cannedorboxedgoods)lookstobeinverybadcondition,ordamaged.IfIcan'tthinkofauseforitbythe"bestbefore"date.Ifit'snotsomethingIusuallybuy.It'ssomethingusuallybuybutthefullpriceditemisin-expensive.Iwon'tbuyfruitsandvegetablesthatareanoddshape.Iwon'tbuyfruitsandvegetableswithsoftspots.Iwon'tbuyfruitsandvegetableswithbruises.Other/Prefernottosay.

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Section3:CookingHabits&Leftovers(C)C1.Howoftendoesyourhouseholdcookandeatathome?

Everydayormostdaysperweek3-4timesperweek1-2timesperweekAfewtimespermonthRarelyoronspecialoccasionsNeverPrefernottosay

Section3A:MealPreparation(C)C2a.Towhatextentareyouinchargeofcookingforyourhousehold?

AllormostofitAbouthalfofitLessthanhalfofitVerylittleornotatallPrefernottosay

C2b.Ifyoudolessthanhalfthecooking,istheresomeoneelseinyourhouseholdthatisprimarilyresponsibleforthecooking?

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YesNoOther

C2c.Ifyouanswered"Yes"tothepreviousquestion,whatisthisperson'srelationshiptoyou?(Open)

C3.Formainmealsthatarepreparedathome,whendoyoudecidewhatyou'regoingtohave?

I/Wedecidethatday,oracoupleofdaysaheadoftimeI/Weknowwhatsomeofthemainmealswillbeforthisweek,butnotyetfornextweek.I/Weknowwhatmostofthemainmealswillbeforthisweek,andafewmainmealsfornextweek.I/WeknowwhatmostofthemainmealswillbeforthisweekANDnextweek.Prefernottosay.

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Section3B:Leftovers(C)C4.Thinkaboutthelasttimeyoucookedamealbasedonpastaorrice.Didyouhaveanyleftovers?

YesNoDon'tknow/Can'trememberI/Wedon'tcookoreatthisitemPrefernottosay

C5.Thinkaboutthelasttimeyouhadleftoversormademorefoodthanwasneeded.Whatdidyoudowiththoseleftovers?

I/WeusedalltheleftoversforanothermealI/WeusedpartoftheminmakinganothermealI/Wekeptthemwiththeintentofusingthem,buttheyspoiledandhadtobethrownaway.They'restillbeingstored.I/Wedidn'thaveauseforkeepingthem,andthrewthemaway.Other/Don'tknow/Can'trememberPrefernottosay

Section4:FoodStorageHabits(D)D1.Thinkaboutthepast12months.Foranyfresh(non-frozen)foodyouhavebought,ormealsyouhavepreparedathome,haveyouusedthefreezertostoreanyofthefollowingitems:

UncookedmeatorfishCommerciallypre-mademealsFoodclosetotheir"bestbefore"dateMilkordairyproductsCookedmeatorfish

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Home-mademealsandmealleftoversBreadandbakeryproductsNothing(Idon'tusethefreezer)Idon'thaveafreezerOther/Can'tremember/Don'tknowPrefernottosay

D2.Thinkaboutthelasttimeyouopenedapackageofcheese(e.g.,cheddar).Howdidyoustorethecontentsafteropening?

OriginalpackagingPlasticbag(zipper-typeseal)Reuseablefoodcontainer(e.g.,Tupperware-type)ClingwraporfoilWithoutwrappingDon'tknowDon'tbuy/eatthisfoodPrefernottosayOther

D3.Thinkaboutthelasttimeyouopenedapackageofslicedmeat(e.g.,turkeyorham).Howdidyoustorethecontentsafteropening?

OriginalpackagingPlasticbag(zipper-typeseal)Reuseablefoodcontainer(e.g.,Tupperware-type)ClingwraporfoilWithoutwrapping

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Don'tbuy/eatthisfoodOther/Don'tknowPrefernottosay

D4.WhenyouhavefreshAPPLESthatneedstorageinyourkitchen,howdoyoustorethem?

Inbowl/oncounterIncupboard/onshelfInfridgeInthedarkInclothbagInplasticbagDon'tbuy/storetheseOther/Don'tknowPrefernottosay

D5.WhenyouhavefreshCARROTSthatneedstorageinyourkitchen,howdoyoustorethem?

Inbowl/oncounterIncupboard/onshelfInfridgeInthedarkInclothbag

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InplasticbagDon'tbuy/storethesePrefernottosayOther/Don'tknow

D6.WhenyouhavefreshPOTATOESthatneedstorageinyourkitchen,howdoyoustorethem?

Inbowl/oncounterIncupboard/onshelfInfridgeInthedarkInclothbagInplasticbagOtherDon'tbuy/storethesePrefernottosay

D7.Withinthepast12months,haveyoucheckedthetemperatureofyourfridge?

Yes-withathermometerYes-withthethermostatsettingandfridgedisplayNo-neverorrarelycheckDon'tknow/Can'trememberPrefernottosay

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Section5:FoodWaste(E)E1.Thinkaboutthelasttimepotentiallyediblefoodwasthrownoutinyourhousehold,eitherleftoversorexpiredfood.Couldyoudescribeformethecircumstancessurroundingwhythatfoodwasthrownout?

TypesofFood


Leftovers 36 Home-madefoodsomehowalteredsincebeingpurchasedfromthestore.

Produce 18 Thefooditemwasatypeofproduce(fruitorvegetable).

Cookedmeat 3 Thefooditemwasatypeofcookedmeat.

Pasta/rice 9 Thefooditemwasatypeofgrain.

Pre-mademeal/processedfood

2 Thefooditemwasatypeofprocessedfoodorapre-mademeal.

Dairy 2 Thefooditemwasatypeofdairyproduct.

Drygoods 1 Thefooditemwasatypeofdrygood.

ReasonforDiscarding


Expiredfood 25 Foodpurchasedfromthestorethathasnotyetbeenalteredtomakeameal.

Time 47 Toomuchtimehaslapsedandthefooditemisnolongerfitforconsumption(basedonlook,smell,taste).Thefoodmayormaynothavebeenforgotten.

Forgot 7 Thefoodwasexplicitlyforgotten,whichwasafactorintheamountoftimelapsed.

Disinterest 20 Membersofthehouseholdweredisinterestedineatingthefood,whichwasafactorintheamountoftimelapsed.

Toomuch 9 Toomuchfoodwaspreparedatthetimeofconsumption.

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Unrefrigerated 3 Thefoodwasnotrefrigeratedcreatingafoodsafetyhazardand/orreducedquality.

Cleaning 1 Thefoodwasdisposedofasaresultofcleaningtherefrigerator.

VerbatimResponses

Sec5Q1.Thinkaboutthelasttimepotentiallyediblefoodwasthrownoutinyourhousehold,eitherleftoversorexpiredfood.Couldyoudescribeformethecircumstancessurroundingwhythatfoodwasthrownout?

1 Wethrewawayleftoversbecauseafewdayshadpassedafterwestoredthem.2 Lastweekweateporkroastforafewdaysandthendidn'twantitanymore,sowethrewitaway.3 Wepurgedspoiledfoodsafterashoppingtrip.4 Wehavetworefrigerators.Weboughtcauliflower,storeditinthesecondrefrigerator,andforgotaboutit.Thecauliflower

wentbadandwethrewitaway.5 Wemadetoomuchpastaforthethreeofustoconsume.Itwasamealthatweboughtgroceriesforthatday;weusedawhole

packageofpastaandawholejarofsauce.Noonetookanyleftoversforlunchthenextday.Theleftoverssatinthefridgeforawhileandthenwetossedit.

6 Weboughttoomuchfreshproduceforthetwoofusandwedidn'teatitallbeforeitspoiled.7 Wethrewawayleftovercabbagerollsthatnobodyclaimedafteroneweek.8 Wecookedtoomuchforonemealandtheleftoversdidnotgeteatenaftersittinginthefridgeforaperiodoftime.9 Wemadespaghettiandhad3/4cupofleftovers,butnooneateitafteraweeksoitwasthrownaway.10 Wemadetoomuchtoeatinonemeal.11 Wepurchasedtoomanyveggiesforababyshowerandwhatwasleftbegantorot.12 IthrewawayasaladIhadputtogetherbecauseitwentallwilty.13 I/weforgotthatthelettucewasinthebottomofthefridge.14 Wethrewawayleftoversthatwereinthefridgetoolong;itwaspastawithturkey.Wehadintendedtoreuseit,butitwent

bad.15 Yesterday,wetookfoodouttocookbutitwasahotdayandthefoodwasouttoolong.16 Wemadetoomuchriceandforgottorefrigerateitbeforegoingtobed.Whenwewokeinthemorningwethrewitout,butit

wasaverysmallamountbeingthrownout.17 Wethrewoutaboutahalfofacucumberthatwashiddenundersomelettuceinthefridge;itspoiledbecausewehaditin

therefortoolong.Cucumbersomethingwealwaysbuy.Wethrewitinthegarbage.18 Wehadvegetablesthathadgonebadbeforetheycouldbeused.19 Iliketobuybulkcontainersofyogurtandsometimestheygetmouldybeforetheexpirydate.

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20 Wepurchasedfoodthathadgonebadshortlyafter.21 Oursondidn'tfinishhisschoollunchanditwasthrownaway.22 Wemadetoomuchfood,whichwasthenstoredbutthenshovedtothebackofthefridge,forgotten,andhadtobethrown

awaybecauseitwentbad.23 Wethrowfoodawaybecausemembersofthehouserefusedtoeatit,weweretoobusytomakeitintosomething,orkids

don'tlikeit.24 Weleftriceinthefridgetoolong.25 Thechildrendidnotfinishtheirplatesduringamealandthescrapshadbeenleftoutofthefridgesowethrewthemaway.26 Weboughtmilkanditwentbadbeforeitwassupposedtoexpire.27 Ourchildrendidn'teatallofthetakeoutweorderedforthem.28 NoonelikedthespaghettiImadeanditdriedoutsowethrewitaway.29 Ourleftoversjustweren'tlookinggoodafteraweekinthefridge,sowethrewthemout.30 Mydaughterdidn'twanttoeathermealandmyhusbanddidn'twanttotakeitforlunchsoeventuallyIhadtothrowitout.31 Wemadetoomuchspaghettianddoesn'tstorewellsowethrewitout.32 Wehadleftoversthatsatinthefridgetoolongandtherewasnopurposeforit.33 Oursonsatforanhourandrefusedtoeathismealbeforebed.Thosetablescrapswentintothecompost.34 Myleftoversthatsatinthefridgetoolong,andtherecomesatimewhenyoucan'teatitanymore.35 Onceinawhile,wewillthrowoutleftoversiftheyspendmorethanthreedaysinthefridge.36 Whenfoodspendsmorethanfiveorsixdaysinstorageandnooneeatsit,itgetsthrownaway.37 Weusuallythrowawayvegetablesthatwejustdon'tgetaroundtoeating.38 Weusuallyforgetanitemisinthefridgeandbuyormakeanewitem.39 IhadfreshvegetablesandfruitthatlookedbruisedanddiscoloredsoIthrewthataway.Itincludedcarrotsinthebagpast

theexpirydate,four-day-oldtakeout,stuffinthefreezerthatwasinthereforoverfourmonths,andpantryfoodthathadbeenthereforovertwoyears.

40 Todaywethrewawayblueberriesthathadgonebadbeforemydaughteratethem.41 Icookedacurrydishandnooneateitintime,soitwasthrownout.42 Wehadapartyandtherewasleftovertablescrapsthatwerethrownaway.43 Apackagedlunchwasuneatenandhadtobethrownaway.44 Wehadasaladwithdressingonitthatwasthrownintothecomposter.Mostlythishappenswhenwegoonholiday.When

mysonishomebuthedoesn'talwayseatallthefoodhetakes.45 No,Itrynottocooktoomuchandhardlythrowoutfood;noneatall,Ithink.46 Wehadabigbagofspinachthatwentbadbeforeweusedallofit.47 Wepurchasedsomecilantroforarecipeandhadsomeleftover.

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48 Wewaitedtoolongtofinishaleftoversalad,sowethrewitaway.49 Wedon'tusuallythrowfoodaway.Ourboyswilleatit,butperhapstheturkeyskinonChristmas.50 Yesterdaywewererunningoutofmilk,therewasonlyahalfacup,sowedidn'thavecereal.51 Aportionofaready-madepastasaucewasthrownoutbecauseitwastoomuchfortwopeople.Wehadnotfoundawayto

useitsoonenoughandhadtothrowitout.52 Thefoodwasinthefridgesolongitgotgreenspots.53 Wethrewawaysourcream,becauseitwaspushedtothebackofthefridgeandwentbad.54 Usuallywethrowfoodawayifwemaketoomuchofsomething(ie.pasta).Somewillbesaved,butifthereistoomuchsome

willbethrownoutifIknowIwon'tuseit.WhenthereareleftoverstakenforlunchandIgettiredofeatingthesamething,sometimestheywillspoilandbethrownout.

55 Sometimeswethrowawayleftovers,butthere'sjustalittleleftandsometimesthedoggetsit.56 Wethrewoutanrottenappletodayandlettucethatwastooold.57 Ihadpastaleftoversfromthemealbefore,therewasonlyalittlebitleftsothesecondtimeIateitIthrewtherestout.58 MyhusbanddecidednottoeatthefoodandIendedupthrowingitout.59 Wethrewoutfoodweforgotinthefreezer,butusuallywefinishmeals.60 Wethrewoutleftoverpancakemix;wemakepancakesalmosteveryday.Thenwethrewoutsomeproducetrimmingsand

stuff.61 Ifthere'snotenoughleftoverstomakeitintoanothermealorifit'ssomethingthatIwon'teatagain(becausemyhusband

won'teatleftovers),thenwewillthrowawayfood.62 Wethrewoutahomemadesaladthatwentbad.63 Ourdaughterisavegetarianandpurchasedalargeeggplantbutdidn'tendupusingitbeforeitspoiled.

E2.Overthepastmonth,haveyouthrownawayanyofthefollowingitemsbecausethe"bestbefore"datehaspassed?

1. Pre-cooked(notfrozen)meatorfish2. Raw,freshmeatorfish3. Milk4. Otherdairyproducts5. Pre-mademealsanddeliitems6. FreshFruit7. FreshVegetables8. Canned,Dried,orJarreditems9. Drygoods(e.g.,cereal,crackers)10. FrozenItems11. Don'tknow/Can'tremember12. Juice,Pop,orothernon-dairybeverages13. Bread14. None15. Wedon’tthrowoutfoodaccordingtothedate

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E3.Overthelasttwoweeks,howmuchofthefollowingfoodtypeshasyourhouseholdthrownaway(eitherinyourgarbage,compostpile,downthesink,orfedtopets)?

1. Vegetables&Salad2. Cheese&Yogurt3. Fruit4. BreadandBakeryItems5. CookedMeatorFish6. RawMeatorFish7. Home-madeMeals8. Milk9. Juice,Coffee,Tea&Pop,orothernon-dairybeverages

Responsesare:ALot(AboveAverage)AverageAmountSmallAmount(BelowAverage)VeryLittle/NotOftenNoneDon'tConsumeorUsePrefernottosay

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E4.Overthelasttwoweeks,howmuchofthefollowingtypesoffoodwastehasyourhouseholdthrownaway(eitherinyourgarbage,compostpile,downthesink,orfedtopets)

1. Foodscrapsnotnormallyeaten(e.g.,cores,peels,bones,eggshells)2. Leftovers(excesscookedfoodthatwasnotservedagain)3. Uneatenfoodleftonplateaftermeal4. Foodboughtbutnotused(e.g.,unopenedpackages,wholefruit)5. Unfinishedpackagedfood(e.g.,slicesofbreadormeat,cookingsauce)6. Spoiledormouldyfood7. Foodpastthe"bestbefore"date8. Non-recyclablefoodpackaging(e.g.,clingwrap,Styrofoam,foil)9. Recyclablefoodpackaging(e.g.,paper,cardboard,plasticcontainers)

Responsesare:ALot(AboveAverage)AverageAmountSmallAmount(BelowAverage)VeryLittle/NotOftenNoneDon'tConsumeorUsePrefernottosay

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E5.Thinkaboutthetypesoffoodwastelistedintheprevioustwoquestions.Overall,howmuchuneatenfoodwouldyousayyourhouseholdendsupthrowingaway?

ALot(AboveAverage)AverageAmountSmallAmount(BelowAverage)VeryLittleNoneDon’tknowPrefernottosay

E6.Whatmethod(s)doesyourhouseholdusetodisposeoffoodanddrinkwaste?

Garbagebag/binDownthedrain/sinkGarbagedisposal(e.g.,garburator)Homecomposting(backyardcomposterorwormbin)FedtopetsPrefernottosay

Section6:FoodWasteBehaviours(F)F1.Towhatextentdoyoucurrentlydoanyofthefollowingtominimizethatamountoffoodandfood-relatedwastethatyourhouseholdthrowsaway?

1. Buyinbulk,buyfoodwithlesspackaging2. Buyonlywhathouseholdneedsfortheweek3. Saveleftoversforfuturemeals

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4. Prepareandcookmoremealsathome(lesstakeout,lessdiningout)5. Preparemostofmealsfromscratch6. Prepare/serveonlywhathouseholdmemberscanconsumeinonemeal7. Maintainandsticktogrocerybudget8. Decidewhattomakeformealsbeforegoingshopping9. Labelleftoversandfooditemswiththedateofstorage

Responsesare:AllormostofthetimeAbouthalfthetimeLessthanhalfthetimeRarelyorneverDon'tknowPrefernottosay

F2.Thinkaboutfactorsthatmightencourageyourhouseholdtoreducefoodwaste.Towhatextentdoanyofthefollowinghaveanimpactonyouractions?

1. Adesiretobeenvironmentally-consciousofhowmuchI/wethrowaway2. Foodshortageselsewhereintheworld3. Money-savingopportunities4. Managingmyhouseholdandtimeefficiently5. Feelingsofguiltwhenthrowingawayfoodthatcouldhavebeeneaten6. Desiretoeatahealthydiet7. Gettingmykidstoeathealthy(ifapplicable)

Responsesare:BigImpactSomeImpact

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MinimalImpactNoImpactDon'tknowPrefernottosay

F3.Thinkaboutthepastthreemonths.Onaverage,howoftenwouldyousayyoudideachofthefollowing?

1. Forgotaboutfood/drinkintheFRIDGE(whichendedupbeingthrownaway).2. Forgotaboutfood/drinkintheFREEZER(whichendedupbeingthrownaway).3. Boughtfoodwiththeintentionofmakingsomething,butdidn'tuseallofit.4. Eatenamealorfoodyoudidn'tlike,justtouseupleftoverfood.5. Whenshopping,consideredhouseholdmembers'schedulestodecidehowmuchfoodwas

neededfortheweek.6. Boughtfood/drinkonsale,andendedupnoteatingallofit.7. Boughtalargepackorcaseoffood/drink,butwasn'tabletouseitall(endedupbeing

thrownaway).8. Plannedtomakeamealbutplanschanged.

Responsesare:MorethanonceaweekOnceaweekOnceamonthOnceinlast3monthsRarely/NeverCan'trememberPrefernottosay

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F4.Which(ifany)ofthefollowingreasonspreventyourhouseholdfromtryingtoreducetheamountoffoodthatisthrownaway?

Idon'tknowhowIcanreducefoodwasteKidsdon'talwaysfinishtheirmealsoroftenwon'teatwhatImakeI/WeneedtobuyawiderangeoffoodsforhealthyeatingoptionsI/Welikehavinglotsoffoodvarietyandchoicesonhandathome.Idon'tthinkthrowingawayfoodhasanegativeimpactontheenvironment.I/Wegiveawaymostofmyleftoverfood(tocharities,neighbours,family/friends)TheCitycompostsalloftheorganicwasteinourgarbage.I/WecompostmostofourfoodwasteathomeI/Wedon'tlosemuchmoneybythrowingfoodaway(theextraeffortisnotworththecostsavings)I/Wedon'thaveenoughtimeormoneyTherearemoreimportantthingstothinkaboutNoneoftheaboveareabarrierformePrefernottosay

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F5.Approximatelyhowmuchmoneydoyouthinkyousaveeachmonth(onaverage)ifyouavoidedthrowingawayuneatenfood?

$0-25$25-50$50-100$100-200Over$200Prefernottosay

Section7:FoodWastePerceptions(G)Note:graphshowsquestionresultsinreverseorder.G1.TheaverageCanadianhouseholdcouldsaveanestimated$160permonth(or$2,000peryear)iftheyavoidedhavingtothrowediblefoodaway. True

FalseDon'tKnow/Prefernottosay

G2.A"bestbefore"datemeansthatIcanusuallystillsafelyconsumeafooditemoncethedatehaspast,butthequality(texture,taste,nutrients)maybereduced.G3.Foodpackagingwasteisaworseenvironmentalproblemthanwastingfood.

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G4.Buyingfoodonsale(two-for-onedealsordiscounts)usuallyleadstomorefoodbeingthrownaway.

G5.Buyingfoodinlargevolumes(suchascasesormulti-packs)leadstomorefoodbeingthrownaway.

G6.Inordertosafelystorefoodinyourfridgesoitlastslonger,yourfridgetemperatureshouldbebelow4degreesC.

G7.Foodsuchasrawchickenbreastscanbesafelyfrozenforlonger-termstorage,ifit'sfrozenbeforeoronthe"bestbefore"date. G8.Byreducingtheamountoffoodwethrowaway,wecouldreducegreenhousegasemissions.

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AppendixC:FoodWasteDiary(excerpt)

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AppendixD:WasteAuditCategories

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AppendixF:CompiledResultsforPre-DiaryWasteAudit

Weights(kg)andtypesofitems,separatedbycategory,foundingarbagebags.

Percentagesofitemsbyweight(kg),separatedbycategory,foundingarbagebags(allhouseholds)

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AppendixF:CompiledResultsforFoodWasteDiaryTypesoffoodwaste

Percentagesofavoidable(AFW)andunavoidable(UFW)foodwaste,calculatedbyvolume,reportedinfoodwastediaries.

Percentagesofavoidableandunavoidablefoodwaste,calculatedbyvolume,asreportedinfoodwastediariesforallneighbourhoods.

Totalvolumesoffoodwaste(avoidableandunavoidable)thrownawaybyhouseholds,asreportedinone-weekfoodwastediaries,separatedbyneighbourhood.

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Scatterplotofvolumesofwastereportedinfoodwastediaries.Eachneighbourhoodisrepresentedbyadifferentcolourofdatapoints.

Typesofavoidablefoodwaste

Volumesofavoidablefoodwastetypes,asreportedinfoodwastediariesforallneighbourhoods.

Proportionofavoidablefoodwastetypes,bytotalvolume(L),asreportedinfoodwastediariesforallneighbourhoods.

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FoodwastedisposalReasonsfordisposingofavoidablefoodwaste.Percentagesrepresentnumberofinstancesreportedinfoodwastediariesacrossallneighbourhoods.

Wastedisposalmethods,calculatedaspercentagesoutoftotalinstancesofdisposal,reportedinfoodwastediariesacrossallneighbourhoods(includesavoidableandunavoidablefoodwaste).

Volumesoffoodwaste(avoidableandunavoidable),separatedbydisposalmethod.**7Series1indicatesreportedandcalculatedvolumes(L).

7**ThissumwillbelessthanthetotalweightcalculatedinFigure25becausethecalculationisdependantondiaryinformationbeingcompletefortwocategories(weightofwasteandmethodofdisposal).Incompletediaryentrieswerenotincludedinthesecalculations.

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Percentagesofavoidablefoodwaste,separatedbyvolumesthrownawayatonetime,asreportedinfoodwastediaries.

Frequencyoffoodwastevolumesthrownaway,asreportedinfoodwastediaries.

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