Discarding decisions: A behavioral analysis of consumer food waste in Indonesia

This study explores consumer food waste decisions in Indonesia and aims to assess how economic, socio-demographic, and contextual factors affect the decision to waste food. We use a vignette approach to analyze consumers food waste behavior, that is, discarding meal leftovers. This research considers food waste not as a simple inefficient result, but an outcome of consumers weighing various trade-offs and economic incentives, including considerations of price, location, socio-cultural contexts and opportunity loss. By identifying and comparing consumers' behaviors using between and within-subject designs across two provinces—Yogyakarta and Bali—we found that consumers are more likely to discard leftovers when meals are affordable, when dining out occurs and when a smaller portion of the food is left. The between-subject and within subject designs give consistent results, confirming the robustness and reliability of this study. This consistency validates the efficacy of the chosen vignettes in capturing salient decision factors for individual consumers. Based on the findings, we offer some policy recommendations to address the high and increasing levels of food waste in Indonesia and other developing countries. • Vignette approach with between and within subject designs demonstrate robustness. • Decision to save leftovers involves economic, behavioral and socio-cultural trade-offs. • Affordable meal and dining out are negatively associated with saving leftovers. • Policy insights for targeted food waste reduction in Indonesia.