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Of Waste and Waists: The Effect of Plate Material on Food Consumption and Waste

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  • Sara Williamson
  • Lauren G. Block
  • Punam A. Keller

Abstract

Two lab studies and three field studies indicate that plate disposability influences the amount of food wasted. The first lab study indicates that more food served on disposable (i.e., paper) plates is wasted than when the same food is served on permanent (i.e., hard plastic) plates. Study 2 employs an implicit association test (IAT) to confirm that disposable plates are strongly associated with behavior to stop eating while, simultaneously, permanent plates are more strongly associated with a keep eating behavior. Three field studies (3A, 3B, and 3C) indicate that this effect maintains when instead of being served a fixed quantity of food, participants select the amount and type of food.

Suggested Citation

  • Sara Williamson & Lauren G. Block & Punam A. Keller, 2016. "Of Waste and Waists: The Effect of Plate Material on Food Consumption and Waste," Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(1), pages 147-160.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jacres:doi:10.1086/684287
    DOI: 10.1086/684287
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    12. Reynolds, Christian & Goucher, Liam & Quested, Tom & Bromley, Sarah & Gillick, Sam & Wells, Victoria K. & Evans, David & Koh, Lenny & Carlsson Kanyama, Annika & Katzeff, Cecilia & Svenfelt, Åsa & Jack, 2019. "Review: Consumption-stage food waste reduction interventions – What works and how to design better interventions," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 7-27.
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    15. Joanna Markowska & Elżbieta Polak & Anna Drabent & Agnieszka Tyfa, 2022. "Innovative Management of Vegetable Outgrades as a Means of Food Loss and Waste Reduction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-23, September.
    16. Ilyuk, Veronika, 2018. "Like throwing a piece of me away: How online and in-store grocery purchase channels affect consumers’ food waste," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 20-30.
    17. Choi, Kang Jun & Jia, He Michael & Lee, Jae Young & Kim, B. Kyu & Kim, Keunwoo, 2022. "Hedonic myopia: Emphasizing hedonic benefits of non-perishable food makes consumers insensitive to expiration dates in food purchase," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 193-202.
    18. Jessica Aschemann‐Witzel & Ana Giménez & Alice Grønhøj & Gastón Ares, 2020. "Avoiding household food waste, one step at a time: The role of self‐efficacy, convenience orientation, and the good provider identity in distinct situational contexts," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(2), pages 581-606, June.
    19. Stephen S. Holden & Natalina Zlatevska & Chris Dubelaar, 2016. "Whether Smaller Plates Reduce Consumption Depends on Who's Serving and Who's Looking: A Meta-Analysis," Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(1), pages 134-146.
    20. Zhang, Jin & Huang, Yidi & Zhu, Junming & Zhao, Lijun, 2023. "A meta-analysis on the effectiveness of food-waste reducing nudges," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    21. Yu Zhang & Danyi Qi, 2024. "How to reduce household food waste during and after the COVID‐19 lockdown? Evidence from a structural model," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 68(3), pages 628-652, July.

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