STUDY ON THE PERCEPTION OF ROMANIAN CONSUMERS REGARDING FOOD WASTE

In accordance with the objectives of the European Union, Romania, along with the other member states, must take measures to reduce food waste in the coming period. This phenomenon represents a major problem for our country, which involves consumer education, prevention campaigns and legislative measures. In this context, within the project "Research on agro-food waste, its causes and ways to prevent it in Romanian households", ReWaFA, a study was carried out that investigates the perception of Romanian consumers on food waste, their behavior and prevention measures. The data was collected through an online questionnaire, through Google Forms, distributed between January 29 and March 5, 2024 to 260 respondents. The analysis was performed using SPSS, applying the relative frequency method for data interpretation. The results showed that young people, between 18 and 24 years old, from urban areas, with higher education, have information about food waste and its implications, but do not always have the necessary levers to manage the food surplus. Because many continue to throw away food, especially cooked food and bakery products, respondents proposed as solutions to combat food waste: the distribution of informative materials, partnerships with schools for early education and the holding of events on this theme.