Reasons include what you might suspect, such as the cook being able to determine from the recipe the sufficient amount of each ingredient to purchase and prepare without excess. However, the waste reduction is also for a reason you might not suspect—cutting time and bother.
My evidence comes from a series of University of Groningen studies primarily designed to explore the effects not of recipes, but rather of minimally processed ingredients such as washed and chopped vegetables versus vegetables requiring purchasers to wash and chop them. Note that in the studies, the researchers used semi-prepared ingredients, not fully prepared meals. If too much convenience is provided, the consumer might devalue the meal and show less hesitation in wasting some of the food.
In one of the studies, consumers were asked to imagine they had in their refrigerator a set of items—pasta, parmesan cheese, olive oil, a leek, and so on. One group of participants were shown photos of the ingredients in a semi-prepared form. The rest were shown the ingredients in an unprepared form. Half the number of participants in each group were also given a recipe which listed steps for incorporating all the ingredients into a pasta entrée. Each participant was asked to indicate “How likely are you to not prepare the meal and therefore throw all products away?”
For the participants who had not been provided a recipe, those considering the semi-prepared ingredients were less likely to say they’d waste the foods. But for those who had been provided the recipe, there was little difference between the two groups. Analyses of other data collected in this study and from other studies in the series indicated the explanation was degree of convenience.
Either semi-preparation of the ingredients or availability of a recipe increased consumer convenience in a way which reduced the probability of food waste. Parallel findings came from another study of the set in which households collected their actual waste of edible food from packages the researchers had provided.
Two implications for grocers are to post recipes for use of foods you’re selling and to offer semi-prepared ingredients. Along with reducing waste, these tactics might improve profitability: In one of their studies, the researchers concluded shoppers would be willing to pay a 13% price premium for semi-prepared foods when the waste reduction benefits are featured.
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Limit Healthy Food Purchases
