Table of contentsFactors influencing consumption and wasteSocio-demographic factorsIndividual behaviors, perceptions and expectations towards foodLack of customer awareness, knowledge and skillsCet essay presents the result of a literature review, interviews and questionnaires with the aim of highlighting the factors that contribute to food waste at Brookes University and on campus. The results show that consumers' motivation to avoid food waste, their skills in supply management and food handling have a significant influence on their food waste behavior. We identify actions that have been taken by the sustainability team in terms of reducing waste and highlight a set of recommendations that can be undertaken. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Food waste normally occurs further down the supply chain, more specifically at the retail and consumption stages. Consumers are the largest contributors to food waste, as they have the greatest negative impact on the environment and the economy. The loss of added value is greater due to the loss of natural resources, biodiversity, labor and energy and the opportunity cost of not feeding other people who could live in hunger. A study shows that 35% of food waste is attributed to consumers. To effectively reduce food waste, we need to better understand the consumer and their behavior by gaining knowledge about them. The main factors that influence consumer behavior are sociodemographic factors, lifestyle and market segmentation, as well as food choice, financial characteristics, planning routines and food surpluses. Factors influencing consumption and waste. WRAP states that food waste is not a conscious decision. There is a gap between the action that caused the waste and its consequences. While food consumption is characterized by a complexity of habits and rituals, food waste is invisible because it is neither planned nor necessary, or there is no ritual requiring the wasting of a certain amount of food. It is less influenced by social norms. By bringing together almost 300 factors that can influence food waste, the European Fusions project concluded that there are three general consumer factors: Social factors, such as household type, family stage and associated lifestyles . Individual behaviors, perceptions and lifestyles. food expectationsLack of customer awareness, knowledge and skills. Sociodemographic factorsPerhaps the highest direct link with sociodemographic characteristics belongs to household structure, in terms of age and number of household members. These are, for example, the post-war education of the older generation or greater food skills of older households, the size of the household which influences the need for different sizes of food packaging, greater food safety concerns in households with children, less time available for food preparation, lower levels of food safety. planning and greater spontaneity and orientation towards.