Can heat-and-eat frozen food be a solution for food waste? The role of sustainability orientation

Food loss and waste present significant global challenges that affect food security, sustainability, and the environment. This study investigates food loss and waste from the perspective of consumers, emphasising two objectives: the impact of individual sustainability orientation on attitudes toward food waste and the adoption of ‘heat-and-eat frozen food’ as a waste-reducing alternative. Data was collected from Saudi Arabia, a country with one of the highest food loss and waste rates. Using structural equation modelling, the results showed that sustainability orientation significantly predicts attitudes toward food waste. The attitudes toward food waste predicted the attitude toward buying heat-and-eat items. Both attitudes and subjective norms strongly predicted the intention to buy them. Interestingly, the relationship between attitudes toward buying heat-and-eat frozen foods and the intention to buy was positive for respondents who had high attitudes toward buying and negative for those who developed low attitudes. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications are discussed.