Exploring consumers' perceptions of suboptimal food products: a strategy for food waste reduction

Abstract. Food waste has received increasing attention during the last decade, especially due to its environmental and social impacts. An important contributor to food waste levels is consumers lower preference for purchase fruits and vegetables with unusual appearance, products with damaged package and close to the expiration date, technically called suboptimal food products. Research shows that consumers tend to reject these products when buying food, increasing avoidable food waste. However, consumer considerations when deciding to buy or not suboptimal food are still unknown. The current research explored consumers acceptance of suboptimal food with a focus group. Results reveal that considerations about suboptimal food are divergent, with some of the participants rejecting them due to a search for perfection when buying food products. However, some individuals are inclined to accept the product, mainly if they have concern with the environment and cook ability. In the end, this study contributes to food waste reduction strategies and has implications for marketing actions.

Keywords: Suboptimal food products, food waste, consumer food waste, consumer choice.