Factors influencing food waste behavior: A study on college students in Medan City, Indonesia

One of the world’s environmental problems is food waste. This problem is closely related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly the goal on sustainable production and consumption. Food waste affects not only environmental aspects but also the social and economic aspects, it is often driven by individual behavior. This study aims to calculate the percentage of food waste based on nutrition classification and to analyze factors influencing the food waste behavior. A survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 134 college students. The variables examined included socioeconomic and behavioral factors. Binary logistic regression was applied for data analysis. This results show carbohydrates-rich foods such as rice, noodles and bread were the most commonly wasted items among college students in Medan. Furthermore, the factors influencing food waste behavior were dining out behavior, promotions or discounts, food expenditure, diet programs and eating frequency. Taking leftovers home and reheating them were the most common practices used by students to reduce food waste. In addition, the government should formulate policies and regulations on food waste management to help reduce food waste in Medan City.