Determinants of excessive food buying and waste during Ramadan in Indonesia: the moderating role of religiosity

Purpose This study aims to examine the determinants of excessive food buying and food waste during Ramadan, focusing on the roles of festive experience, nostalgic food memory and perceived scarcity, with excessive food buying as a mediator and religiosity as a moderator, among university students living away from home in Surabaya. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire distributed to 222 Muslim university students living away from home in Surabaya. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with the partial least squares method. Findings The results revealed that nostalgic food memory and perceived scarcity had a significant positive influence on excessive food buying, while festive experience had a negative influence. Furthermore, excessive food buying significantly influenced Ramadan food waste. Religiosity only moderated the relationship between nostalgic food memory and excessive food buying, and did not moderate the relationship between other variables. Practical implications The findings suggest that food waste reduction strategies during Ramadan are likely to be more effective when targeting emotionally driven consumption and strengthening internalized religious values, rather than relying solely on situational restrictions. Universities, policymakers and community institutions can use these insights to design more context-specific interventions for students living away from home, who face unique consumption challenges during festive periods. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by investigating the psychological and cultural drivers of food waste through the lens of religiosity during Ramadan in an urban Muslim context. It provides novel insights by focusing on a specific demographic: Muslim university students living away from home.