Household food waste behavior in informal communities: a secondary analysis through the COM-B framework

Household food waste continues to pose a significant development and sustainability challenge in low-income urban and peri-urban contexts, where the effects of waste are intensified by economic precarity and high levels of food insecurity. This study presents a COM-B-informed secondary analysis of household food-waste behavior among residents of four informal communities in the Fezile Dabi District, South Africa. The analysis examines how previously collected factors relating to food-management knowledge, household practices and infrastructural conditions can be interpreted within the Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation components of the COM-B framework. The findings indicated substantial opportunity-related constraints, particularly unreliable electricity supply, despite widespread access to refrigeration/freezing facilities. Motivation-related practices were also evident, with participants reporting preparation of food beyond the requirements of a single meal and some reporting deviations from planned shopping. These findings suggest that household food-waste behavior may reflect the interaction of individual capabilities, environmental opportunities and motivational processes. The findings suggest that household food waste may be understood as a behavior arising from the interaction of individual capabilities, environmental opportunities, and motivational processes. Effective interventions, therefore, require integrated socio-technical approaches that combine food literacy initiatives, behavioral change strategies and infrastructure-support measures. By applying the COM-B model within an informal community context, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of household food waste behavior and provides evidence to support contextually appropriate interventions aimed at improving food utilization, food security and sustainable consumption.