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. 2025 Jan 23;15:2991. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-86252-z

Table 2.

Constructs, measurement items and sources.

Constructs Measurement item Sources
Food Waste Behavior (FWB) FWB1 Meals and leftovers Stancu et al.23, Kasza et al.74, Szakos et al.47
FWB2 Bread and other bakery products
FWB3 Dairy products
FWB4 Fresh fruits and vegetables
FWB5 Processed meat
Intentions (INT) INT1 I intend to eat leftover food. Aktas et al.4, Visschers et al.50, Stefan et al.32, Stancu et al.23
INT2 I intend not to throw away food.
INT3 I intend to generate as little food waste as possible.
INT4 I intend to find a use for food trimmings.
Attitude (ATT) ATT1 I feel bad when uneaten food is thrown away. Aktas et al.4, Stancu et al.23, Ajzen78
ATT2 I was raised to believe that food should not be wasted.
ATT3 Throwing away food bother me.
ATT4 In my opinion wasting food is extremely negative.
ATT5 In my opinion loading the environment with my household’s food waste is extremely negative.
Subjective Norms (SN) SN1 My friends and my family influence my opinion about and behavior in reducing food waste. Aktas et al.4, Ajzen78
SN2 Influenced by the media (TV, radio, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube) or well-known people (influencers), I pay attention to throwing away as little food as possible.
SN3 I believe that media (TV, radio, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube) or well-known people influence my opinion and behavior regarding food waste.
SN4 Society thinks my efforts to reduce food waste are necessary.
Perceived PBC1 In my opinion wasting food is unavoidable. Teng et al.19, Stancu et al.23
Behavioral PBC2 In my opinion loading the environment with my household’s food waste is unavoidable.
Control (PBC) PBC3 Not to throw food away would be difficult.
Health Consciousness (HC) HC1 I carefully choose food to ensure good health. Michaelidou and Hassan79, Adel et al.35, Teng and Lu80, Katt and Meixner36)
HC2 I’m usually aware of my health.
HC3 I’m very self-conscious about my health.
HC4 I think often about health issues.
HC5 I take responsibility for the state of my health.
Environmental Consciousness (EC) EC1 The current development path is destroying the environment. Katt and Meixner36
EC2 Unless we do something, environmental damage will be irreversible.
EC3 Food consumption level can have an impact on the environment.
Price Consciousness (PC) PC1 I try to buy food items that are on sale. Katt and Meixner36, Pellegrini et al.46
PC2 I pay attention to good deals.
PC3 I compare food prices from different brands.
PC4 Spending time to find the most affordable price.
PC5 Despite I prefer those brands I always buy discounted brands.
Planning Routines (PR) PR1 I check my cupboard/fridge/pantry prior to a trip to the supermarket. Aktas et al.4, Stancu et al.23, Özbük et al.49,
PR2 I plan my meals in advance and keep to my plan.
PR3 I plan what to eat to ensure I use the most short-dated food first.
Ecological Motives (EM) EM1 It’s very important that the foods have been produced in a way that animals’ rights have been respected. (e.g., sufficient living spaces). Teng and Lu80
EM2 It’s very important that the foods have been prepared in an environmentally friendly way.
EM3 It’s very important that the foods are packaged in an environmentally friendly way.
EM4 It’s very important that the foods have been produced in a way which has not shaken the balance of nature.
Celebrations and Holidays (CH) CH1 I feel that I throw away food more than usual during Holidays. Aktas et al.4
CH2 During Holidays, the food I prepare for guests is wasted.
CH3 My food preferences during Holidays result in higher waste than other times of the year.
Unplanned Events (UE) UE1 Due to unexpected dining out, I always have to change my family cooking plan. Farr‐Wharton et al.61, Teng et al.19
UE2 Due to unexpected parties, I always have to change my family cooking plan.
UE3 Due to unexpected reasons from my family members, I always have to change my family cooking plan (e.g., someone cannot dine at home without prior notice).
Blaming others for food waste (BO) BO1 Who do you think is responsible for food waste? [Government institutions] Pocol et al.81
BO2 Who do you think is responsible for food waste? [School canteens]
BO3 Who do you think is responsible for food waste? [Restaurants]
BO4 Who do you think is responsible for food waste? [Hypermarkets]