Reducing food waste behaviors from the viewpoint of university students through the E-TPB model

As a significant global issue, food waste has garnered considerable public attention because of food security and environmental sustainability. However, the current study overlooks the food waste behavior of university students in university canteens. This study, which is based on a systematic questionnaire survey of 1229 university students in Macao and Zhuhai, adopts the extended theory of planned behavior (E-TPB) to investigate the key factors influencing university students' food waste behaviors in school canteens by incorporating four additional variables. The results demonstrate that subjective norm emerged as the strongest predictor of university students' intentions, whereas intentions remained the strongest predictor of university students' food waste behavior (R² = 0.641). Among the four extended hypotheses, the economic impact and cognition of food waste have a significant effect on university students’ food waste behavior. This study revealed that increasing the level of awareness and positive attitudes toward food waste can help reduce food waste. Compared with those in Macao, the food waste behavior of respondents in Zhuhai was more influenced by the level of the economy. These research outcomes provide effective strategies for minimizing food waste within university canteens.