From panic to planning: an integrative framework of food waste in uncertainty and crisis scenarios
Keywords:
Desperdício de alimentos, Comportamento do consumidor em crise, Teoria do Comportamento Planejado, Iramuteq, SustentabilidadeAbstract
Acute global crises profoundly alter household consumption and waste disposal dynamics, challenging traditional behavioral models. This paper analyzes the food waste behavior in Brazilian households within a crisis context, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as a theoretical lens. We conducted thirty in-depth interviews with those responsible for food purchases and executed data analysis via textual and content methods using the Iramuteq software. The results reveal a behavioral paradox: while price increases spurred more rigorous planning, the anxiety and uncertainty generated impulsive and unnecessary stockpiling, increasing the potential for waste. As well we identified an increase in packaging waste driven by delivery services and the ambiguous role of the cooking experience. As main contribution, this paper proposes an integrative framework that expands the TPB by incorporating four emerging dimensions in crisis contexts: culinary experience, environmental awareness, uncertainty, and adaptive planning.
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