Identifying Priority Behavior Change Solutions to Key Drivers of Household Food Waste in the United States

The report identifies key behavioral drivers of household food waste in the US, including forgetting food, lack of knowledge on food use, over-preparation, and time constraints. It argues that these drivers stem from gaps in consumer opportunity and ability, calling for retailers, policymakers, and civil society to implement targeted interventions to reduce waste and emissions.

• The report identifies four primary behavioral drivers of household food waste in the United States: forgetting or losing track of food, lack of knowledge on how to use food, preparing excessive quantities of food, and time constraints or being too busy.
• Consumer behavior regarding food waste is significantly influenced by deficiencies in their ability and opportunity to reduce such waste, necessitating targeted interventions to achieve behavioral shifts at scale.
• If current trends persist, the volume of food waste at the consumer stage on a global scale is projected to double by the year 2050.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Identifying Priority Behavior Change Solutions to Key Drivers of Household Food Waste in the United States. https://www.wri.org/research/identifying-priority-behavior-change-solutions-key-drivers-household-food-waste-united

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Identifying Priority Behavior Change Solutions to Key Drivers of Household Food Waste in the United States. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/identifying-priority-behavior-change-solutions-key-drivers-household-food-waste-united.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Identifying Priority Behavior Change Solutions to Key Drivers of Household Food Waste in the United States |url=https://www.wri.org/research/identifying-priority-behavior-change-solutions-key-drivers-household-food-waste-united |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendidentifying, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Identifying Priority Behavior Change Solutions to Key Drivers of Household Food Waste in the United States}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/identifying-priority-behavior-change-solutions-key-drivers-household-food-waste-united}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }