Despite growing efforts to reduce food waste, healthy foods are discarded at disproportionately high rates, mainly due to widespread consumer misconceptions. A recent study published in the Journal of Marketing reveals a critical insight into this issue: consumers are significantly more likely to throw away healthy foods nearing expiration than less healthy items. This tendency is driven by the mistaken belief that more nutritious foods spoil faster, even when this is not necessarily the case. This perception influences purchasing, storage, and disposal behaviours, ultimately contributing to greater waste of nutritious items.

The study, titled “To Dispose or Eat? The Impact of Perceived Healthiness on Consumption Decisions for About-to-Expire Foods,” was conducted by Christine Kim from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Young Eun Huh from Yonsei University, and Brent McFerran from Simon Fraser University. It explores the profound influence that perceived healthiness exerts on food disposal decisions. According to the researchers, consumers often equate healthiness with perishability, assuming that foods marketed as fresh, organic, or minimally processed are inherently more fragile. This false association drives them to discard these items sooner, even when they remain safe to eat.

Christine Kim, one of the study’s lead authors, explains that this misconception extends beyond expiry dates. It shapes broader consumption patterns, influencing everything from initial purchase decisions to the likelihood of consuming leftovers. “We find that healthy foods are often judged as more perishable, even when they aren’t,” Kim notes. This bias leads consumers to demand steeper discounts on healthy items as they approach their expiration dates, further reducing the likelihood that these foods will be sold before they spoil. This behavioural pattern not only inflates household food waste but also undermines the financial viability of healthier food options, making them less attractive to retailers and consumers.

Moreover, the study highlights the impact of these biases on leftover consumption. When faced with a choice between consuming healthy and less healthy leftovers, consumers are often quicker to discard the former, viewing them as riskier. This tendency reinforces a cycle of waste that disproportionately affects nutritious items. The researchers argue that this pattern reflects a deep-seated cultural bias that equates healthiness with fragility and risk, despite the lack of scientific evidence to support this view. The result is a troubling paradox: the foods most beneficial to our health are also the most likely to be wasted.

The authors recommend several strategies for marketers and policymakers to address this challenge. For instance, retailers could consider packaging designs that communicate the durability of healthy foods, challenging the misconception that these items spoil faster. Likewise, consumer education campaigns could be developed to correct these misunderstandings, encouraging more accurate perceptions of food freshness and safety. Dynamic pricing models that account for these biases might also prove effective, providing incentives for consumers to purchase and consume healthy items before they expire without resorting to deep discounts that cut into profit margins.

Ultimately, the researchers stress that tackling these misconceptions is not just a matter of reducing waste but also a crucial step toward promoting healthier diets and more sustainable food systems. As Kim concludes, “This isn’t just a sustainability issue. Reducing waste of healthy foods can also make healthier diets more accessible and affordable for consumers.” By addressing the psychological barriers leading to premature disposal, marketers and policymakers can contribute to a more sustainable and health-conscious society, aligning public health goals with broader environmental objectives.

More information: Christine Kim et al, To Dispose or Eat? The Impact of Perceived Healthiness on Consumption Decisions for About-to-Expire Foods, Journal of Marketing. DOI: 10.1177/00222429241299392

Journal information: Journal of Marketing Provided by American Marketing Association