Abstract Food waste represents a major sustainability challenge with significant environmental, economic, and social implications and is directly linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). This study examines consumer food waste behavior in Greece by drawing on selected constructs from the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and an adapted Ecologically Conscious Consumer Behavior scale focused on food waste (FW-ECCB). Survey data from 1021 consumers were analyzed using structural equation modeling to explore the relationships between General Environmental Knowledge, Food Waste Knowledge, Food Waste Attitudes , and multiple dimensions of food-waste-related behavior. The results indicate that General Environmental Knowledge strongly predicts Food Waste Knowledge but does not directly influence Food Waste Attitudes . In contrast, Food Waste Knowledge is positively associated with attitudes and several behavioral dimensions, including food waste avoidance and recyclability-oriented behavior. Food Waste Attitudes exhibit a differentiated impact, influencing some household practices while failing to predict broader eco-friendly purchasing behavior. These findings highlight the domain-specific and context-dependent nature of food waste behavior and underline the importance of targeted, food-waste-specific interventions over general environmental awareness campaigns.
Zacharatos et al. (Thu,) studied this question.