Food waste reduction as a pathway to sustainable food and nutrition security: evidence from Chinese agricultural households

This study examined how anti-food waste laws, social media, environmental attitudes, and purchasing habits affect food waste reduction behavior in China to increase food and nutrition security in the country. Data were collected from 1479 Chinese agricultural households using a multistage purposive and random sampling technique through a cross-sectional survey. The mean diet diversity score was 0.70, and average per capita energy intake was estimated at 2317.32 kcal/day. The partial least squares structural equation model indicated that food waste reduction behavior is significantly influenced by the anti-food waste law (β = 0.287, p < 0.01), which proves the usefulness of regulatory strategies. The significant positive effect of environmental attitude (β = 0.120, p < 0.05) underscores the notion that agricultural households with pro-environmental attitudes have a higher chance of adopting sustainable food habits that yield healthier diets. In addition, food storage knowledge (β = 0.134, p < 0.01) affected food waste reduction behavior, as better storage skills not only save unnecessary waste but also maintain the nutritive value of the food. Social media (β = 0.036, p < 0.05) also enhances motivation for waste reduction behavior by dictating awareness of diet and promoting responsible consumption among agricultural households. Furthermore, the propensity matching score revealed a significant relationship between food waste reduction behavior and food and nutrition security.