Food waste - consumer behavior in the Republic of Croatia

In Croatia, according to the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development (2022), the country generates 286, 379 tons of food waste, or 71 kilograms per capita per year, of which households generate 216, 345 tons (54 kg per capita) and the business sector 70, 034 tons (17 kg per capita). The paper aimed to investigate and discover how everyday household practices related to food lead to its waste and examine respondents' knowledge of food waste as well as their awareness of food waste and ways of handling food scraps in Croatian households. An online survey was conducted between February and March 2022 and included a sample of 214 respondents who needed to answer 32 questions. The research showed that Croatian consumers are aware of how much waste food creates, but they are not yet proactive enough to change the situation.