An Analysis of Food Waste Production and Behavioural Patterns Among Generation Z in Five European Countries
Food waste remains a global challenge, particularly among younger generations. This study examines the attitudes and behaviours of 330 Generation Z individuals (aged 18-24 years) from Italy, Estonia, Croatia, Romania, and Serbia using an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). The TPB model was expanded to include moral social values, awareness of health risks, and good provider identity. A mixed-methods approach was applied, combining 7-day food waste diaries, visual plate-waste analysis, and self-administered questionnaires. Food recognition analysis showed that Estonian participants wasted less food per meal (3.43%) than those from Italy, Serbia, Croatia, and Romania (12.53%, 12.57%, 14.53%, and 17.18%). Nationality-specific patterns emerged: Romanians mainly discarded meat and potatoes, while participants from Estonia, Croatia, and Serbia wasted fruit and vegetables; Italians most frequently wasted fish and dairy. The extended TPB effectively predicted intentions to reduce food waste, identifying key behavioural determinants that can inform targeted interventions for young consumers.
Authors
- Viktoria Voronova (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4140-412X)
- Anamarija Peter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2817-1130)
- Dario Balaban (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6235-3272)
- Gianpiero Pataro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4370-2769)
- Jona Šurić (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2003-1894)
- Gina Vasile Scăețeanu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5021-4750)
- Giovanni De Feo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0696-0569)
- Jelena Lubura (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1054-1698)
- Saša Đurović
- Marija Klõga (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6483-2605)
- Ana Vîrsta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1401-7447)
- Ivan Brandić (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4135-8757)
- Alessandra Procentese (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7599-9213)
- Francesco Donsì
- Sanja Ostojić
- Lato Pezo
- Jana Šic Žlabur
- Mirela Alina Sandu
- Darko Micić
- Neven Voća
Institutions
- Tallinn University of Technology (EE)
- University of Salerno (IT)
- University of Novi Sad (RS)
- University of Zagreb (HR)
- Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (RU)
- University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest (RO)
- University of Belgrade (RS)
- Institute of General and Physical Chemistry (RS)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Foods
- Published
- 2026-02-13
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15040696
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 30.02