A Study on the Impact of Household Income on the Carbon Footprint of Household Food Waste: Evidence From the China Health and Nutrition Survey

ABSTRACT Over the recent decades, China has witnessed a significant increase in household income, while food waste has also been on the rise. Food waste has an impact on the environment as it increases carbon emissions, which may hinder the realization of China's emission reduction targets. However, the specific impact of the growth in household income on the carbon footprint caused by food waste remains unclear. Using data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey, this study employs Logit and Tobit models to examine the impact of household income on food‐waste behavior and the resulting carbon footprint. The results show that an increase in per capita household income is associated with a higher probability of food waste and an increase in the carbon footprint from household food waste. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the effect of income growth is more pronounced among households in the northern provinces, rural areas, and those with lower educational levels. Additionally, we find an inverted U‐shaped relationship between household income and the carbon footprint of food waste in households with better dietary knowledge. Further analysis reveals that rising household incomes affect food waste's carbon footprint through three mechanisms: increased food waste volume (scale effect), higher proportions of carbon‐intensive foods in wasted items (structural effect), and improved food preservation/cooking infrastructure (technological effect).