• food waste
• food behaviour
• food
• European consumer
• consumer behaviour
• waste

How many times have we found expired food or food we didn't even think we had in the pantry or fridge? How many times have we thrown away food that was still edible just because it didn't fit? These are just some of the behaviours that contribute to one of the greatest challenges in this century, food waste. The European Commission defines it as "all products discarded from the agri-food chain, which - for economic or aesthetic reasons or due to the proximity of the consumption deadline, although still edible and therefore potentially intended for human consumption - are destined to be eliminated or disposed of". Data showed, in the EU, there is 33 million people who cannot have a quality meal every second day while 20% of the total food produced is lost or waste. It is important remember that food waste is created along all the supply chain, from harvesting to domestic consumption, thus many actors that generate large amounts of food thrown away or wasted, indeed food waste happens for various reasons and could not be considered as the outcome of a single behaviour. According to FUSION, in 2016, more than half of the total food waste in the EU (47 million tons) is generated by households. Food waste has several consequences, as far as the environment is concerned it represents a waste of resources used in production such as land, water, energy and inputs; from an economic point of view, it refers to the amount spent on the creation and purchase of unconsumed food; lastly, on the social aspect, it is concerns malnutrition in the world and the ethical and moral dimension. Food losses and waste tend to become a symbol of inefficiency, unfairness and unsustainability of food systems. The object of this research is understanding the behaviours of the youngest and their knowledge about this phenomenon. This study wants to investigate the Food Waste practices and try to understand if any cultural differentials can change the perception of individuals. Thus, I concentrated my studies at the household level, and I have investigated, through surveys online, the knowledge, attitude and practices of the individuals that they have about this topic. In particular, I subdivided my theses in four chapter: in the first one is given a definition of food waste and distinction from food loss according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Barilla Centre for Food and Nutrition (BCFN), then quantification of the phenomenon, around the world, is given, with a focus in Italy. It is analysed the various impacts of food waste at the environmental, economic and social level. In conclusion, the phenomenon is viewed along all the supply chain (harvest, agricultural, industrial processing, distribution, restaurant and private consumption) explaining which are the critical points where it occurs and the different actors in each phase. The second chapter has a more scientific approach, focusing on household consumed, there are illustrated the literature that has dealt with this topic over the years, in order to better understand the causes that drive individuals to waste food; then personal, behaviours and external factors are analysed. Moreover, it showed the different that makes this study different from the already existing ones, and it expressed the survey question. In the third chapter is described the empirical analysis, carried out on a sample of real consumers, of a descriptive and quantitative nature. This section describes the instruments, measurements and procedures carried out on the sample. In the last chapter the data are analysed, the results are reported and commented and finally the conclusions of my thesis.