Exploring barriers and motivations in the adoption of food waste mobile applications

Abstract Food waste is a serious global problem obstructing the path toward Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger). Several food waste mobile applications (FWMAs) have been launched in recent years, offering a technological means of connecting food businesses with consumers to redistribute leftover food. Food businesses, as the suppliers, provide leftover food on an FWMA platform, and the acceptance of that leftover food determines the quantity of food saved through this method. This paper aims to identify the barriers and motivations (B&Ms) underlying the decisions of food businesses regarding whether to participate in FWMA projects. PESTLE analysis is used to categorize potential B&Ms along six dimensions: political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental. Experts in FWMA, suppliers and operators, are then invited to respond to questions along a 5‐point Likert scale as part of the Delphi method. The questions ask about the participants’ level of agreement. Finally, the voting analytical hierarchy process is used to determine the relative importance of each B&M to the industry at large. Economic considerations constitute the biggest source of both motivation and barriers. The same goes for technological factors, though to a lesser degree. Notably, however, FWMA operators point to political factors as the biggest source of barriers. This pioneering study examines FWMA acceptance from the supply side. Despite its brief history, FWMAs excel in the market. Challenges in the business‐to‐consumer model hint at both motivations and barriers. Existing literature lacks comprehensive insights, mainly focusing on consumer perspectives.