ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
Malaysia still produces an estimated around 37,890 tonnes of waste per day and 16,687 tonnes of it is food waste in 2019. This figure gives the impression that Malaysians are still not trying to reduce waste as higher amount of waste can reflect the quantity purchased by Malaysians. This situation occurs because it has become a habit to purchase items that cannot be recycled or reused without feeling bad for the environment. The aims of this paper are to highlight the issues and strategies in food waste reduction in Malaysia. Secondary data are collected regarding “food waste”, “waste management” and “environment friendly food purchasing” scope matters. There are several categories of food waste in Malaysia, food losses from production in the food supply chain, unavoidable, and avoidable food waste. Food waste does affect the environment through the greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, land occupation footprint and water footprint. The strategies to overcome the problem of food waste disposals in Malaysia are through composting, recycling, and anaerobic digestion treatment. Green purchasing is an influential driver in almost all the beginning movement of sustainability in the supply chain, which also included food processing until the disposal phase.
Abd Razak, S., Abd Ghafar, S., W., Padzil, M. N. A., Kamaruddin, A., Mat Zin, N., Saim, M., & Suhaimi, M. S. A. H. (2018). Food wastage prevention in Malaysia: An Issue Processes Model perspective (Pencegahan pembaziran makanan bagi isi rumah di Malaysia: Perspektif Model Proses Isu). Economic and Technology Management Review, 13, 51-62.
Abdul Jalil, M. (2010). Sustainable development in Malaysia: A case study on household waste management. Journal of Sustainable Development, 3(3), 91-102.
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behaviour. Organ. Behav. Hum. Decis. Process, 50,179-211.
Alias, A. R., Mokhlis, M. N. A., & Zainun, N. Y. (2017). Baseline for food waste generation- A case study in University Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia cafeterias. IOP Conference Series: Materials Sciences and Engineering. 271, 012045.
Amirudin, N., & Gim, T. H. T. (2019). Impact of perceived food accessibility on household food waste behaviors: A case of the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 151, 104335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.05.011
Audrey, P., Saint-Bauzel, R., Barbier, L., & Fointiat, V. (2020). Food waste: Disapproving, but still doing. An evidence-based intervention to reduce waste at household. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 162, 105059. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105059
Ayub, A. H., Naziman, Y. H. N. M., & Samat, M. F. (2018). Factors Influencing Young Consumers’ Purchase Intention of Organic Food Product. Advances in Business Research International Journal, 4(1), 17-26.
Bhattacharya, A., Nand, A., & Prajogo, D. (2021). Taxonomy of Antecedents of Food Waste – A Literature Review. Journal of Cleaner Production. 125910
Borsellino, V., Schimmenti, E., & El Bilali, H. (2020). Agri-Food Markets towards Sustainable Patterns. Sustainability, 12, 2193.
Brizi, A., & Biraglia, A. (2021). Do I have enough food? How need for cognitive closure and gender impact stockpiling and food waste during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-national study in India and the United States of America. Personality and Individual Differences, 168, 110396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110396
Calvo-Porral, C., Martínez-Fernández, V. A., & Rodríguez-Fernández, M. (2015). Food for Thought: The Food Waste Global Issue In book: Experiencias en la Modelizacion de la toma de decisiones en la Salud Humana, Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo Humano (pp.1-23) Edition: Universidad de Granada Chapter: 1Publisher: Red Iberoamericana de Estudios Cuantitativos Aplicados. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.1685.1682
Megido, C. R., Gierts, C., Blecker, C., Brostaux, Y., Haubruge, É., Alabi, T., & Francis, F. (2016). Consumer acceptance of insect-based alternative meat products in Western countries. Food Quality and Preference, 52, 237–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2016.05.004
Chaiyasut, C., Makhamrueang, N., Peerajan, S., & Sivamaruthi, B. S. (2017). Assessment of organic acid content, and brix value of representative indigenous fermented plant beverages of Thailand. Assessment, 10(1).
Coskun, A., & Özbük, Y. RM. (2020). What influences consumer food waste behavior in restaurants? An application of the extended theory of planned behavior. Waste Management, 117, 170–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2020.08.011
Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). (2019). Household Expenditure Survey Report 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2020, from
https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/uploads/files/1_Articles_By_Themes/Prices/HIES/HES-Report/HES_Malaysia.pdf
Diaz-Ruiz, R., Costa-Font, M., & Gil, J. M. (2018). Moving ahead from food-related behaviours: an alternative approach to understand household food waste generation. J. Clean. Prod., 172, 1140-1151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.148
Fadzil, F., Fadzil, F., Sulaiman, S. M., Shaharoshaha, A. M., & Seswoya, R. (2020). Methane Production from the Digestion of Thermally Treated Food Waste at 80°C. Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques, 8(3), 1017-1022.
Farr-Wharton, G., Choi, J. H. J., & Foth, M. (2014). Food talks back: Exploring the role of mobile applications in reducing domestic food wastage. Paper presented at the 26th Australian Computer-Human Interaction Conference on Designing Futures: The Future of Design, Sydney, Australia.
Food and Agricultural Organization UN. (FAO). (2015). The State of Food Insecurity in the World: Meeting the 2015 International Hunger Targets: Taking Stock of Uneven Progress. Rome: FAO.
Food and Agricultural Organization UN. (FAO). (2019). Food Loss Index. Online statistical working system for loss calculations retrieved from http://www.fao.org/food-loss-and-food-waste/ flw-data.
Grasso, A. C., Olthof, M. R., Boevé, A. J., van Dooren, C., Lähteenmäki, L., & Brouwer, I. A. (2019). Socio-demographic predictors of food waste behavior in Denmark and Spain. Sustainability, 11, 3244.
Gunders, D. (2012a). Wasted: How America is losing up to 40 percent of its food from farm to fork to landfill. NRDC Issue Paper. NRDC, Washington.
Gunders, D. (2017b). Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill.”Natural Resources Defense Council. Retrieved from
https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/wasted-2017-report.pdf
Ali, H. N. E., & Siong, H. C. (2016). Social factors influencing household solid waste minimisation MATEC Web Conf, 66, 48.
Hasan, S. H., Loi, W. Y., & Kok, J. R. (2015). Purchasing Intention towards organic food among generation Y in Malaysia. Journal of Agribusiness Marketing, 7, 16–32.
Hoek, A. C., Elzerman, J. E., Hageman, R., Kok, F. J., Luning, P. A., & Graaf, C. D. (2013). Are meat substitutes liked better over time? A repeated in-home use test with meat substitutes or meat in meals. Food Quality and Preference, 28, 253–263.
Hughner, R. S., McDonagh, P., Prothero, A., Shultz, C. J., & Stanton, J. (2007). Who are organic food consumers? A compilation and review of why people purchase organic food. J. Consum. Behav. Int. Res. Rev, 6 94–110. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.210
Hyland, J., McCarthy, J., Mary, B., Henchion, M., McCarthy, & Sinéad, N. (2017). Dietary emissions patterns and their effect on the overall climatic impact of food consumption. International Journal of Food Science & Technology. https//doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.13419
Jalil, E. E. A., Ying, C. W., Min, C. S., & Chen, L. M. (2019). A Study of Food Waste Behaviour in Tertiary Institution. Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operation Management Bangkok, Thailand.
Jarjusey, F., & Chamhuri, N. (2017). Consumers’ Awareness and Knowledge about Food Waste in Selangor, Malaysia. International Journal of Business and Economic Affairs, 2(2), 91-97.
Jereme, I., Chamhuri, S., Begum, A. R., & Abdul Talib, B. (2017). Food waste and food security: The case of Malaysia. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 4(8), 6-13.
Jeswani, H. K., Figueroa-Torres, G., & Azapagic, A. (2021). The extent of food waste generation in the UK and its environmental impacts. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 26, 532-547.
Kasavan, S., Ali, M. N. I., Sharif, S., Masarudin, N. A. B., & Yusoff, S. B. (2021). Quantification of food waste in school canteens: A mass flow analysis. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 164, 105176. https//doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105176
Kim, J., Rundle-Thiele, S., & Knox, K. (2019). Systematic literature review of best practice in food waste reduction programs. Journal of Social Marketing, 9(4), 447–466.
https://doi.org/10.1108/jsocm-05-2019-0074.
Kranert, M., Hafner, G., Barabosz, J., Schuller, H., Leverenz, D., Kölbig, A., Schneider, F., Lebersorger, S., & Scherhaufer, S. (2012). Determination Amounts of Food Disposed and Suggestions for Reduction of the Disposal Rate for Food in Germany (in German), Institute for Sanitary Engineering, Water Quality and Solid Waste Management (ISWA), Stuttgart.
Lea, E., J., Crawford, D., & Worsley, A. (2006). Public views of the benefits and barriers to the consumption of a plant-based diet. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 60(7), 828–837. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602387
Leong, T., P., & Mariadass, A., M. (2019). Factors Affecting Young Adults’ Purchase Intention of Green Food Products in Malaysia. Journal of Tourism, Hospitality & Culinary Arts, 11(2), 20-45.
Lian, S. B., & Yoong, L. C. (2019). Assessing the Young Consumers’ Motives and Purchase Behavior for Organic Food: An Empirical Evidence from a Developing Nation. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 9(1), 69–87.
Lim, W. J., Chin, N. L., Yusof, A. Y., Yahya, A., & Tee, T. P. (2016). Food waste handling in Malaysia and comparison with other Asian countries. Int. Food Res. J. 23, S1–S6.
Lundqvist, J., de Fraiture, C., & Molden, D. (2008). Saving Water: From Field to Fork-curbing Losses and Wastage in the Food Chain. SIWI Policy Brief, Stockholm, Sweden.
MacDiarmid, J. (2014). Seasonality and dietary requirements: will eating seasonal food contribute to health and environmental sustainability? Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 73(3): 368-375. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665113003753.
MacGregor J., & Vorley, B. (2006). Fair Miles? The Concept of “Food Miles” Through a Sustainable Development Lens. International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). Available online at: https://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/11064IIED.pdf (accessed January 2, 2021).
MAIWP. (2018). Pelancaran Mesin Kompos Tadika Islam Maiwp Sulaimaniyyah, Putrajaya. Data retrieved from https://www.maiwp.gov.my
McCarthy, B., & Liu, H. B. (2017). Food waste and the ‘green’ consumer. Australasian Marketing Journal (AMJ), S144135821630266X. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ausmj.2017.04.007
Mena, C., Terry, L. A., & Ellram, L. (2014). Causes of Waste across Multi-tier Supply Networks: Cases in the UK Food Sector, Int. J. Production Economics, 152, 144-158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2014.03.012
Ministry of Housing and Local Government. (2006). The Study on National Waste Minimisation in Malaysia. Final Report, Volume 1.
Moh, Y., & Abd Manaf, L. (2017). Solid waste management transformation and future challenges of source separation and recycling practice in Malaysia. Resour. Conserv. Recycl, 116, 1-14.
Mokthsim, N., & Salleh, K., O. (2014). Malaysia’s Efforts toward Achieving a Sustainable Development: Issues, Challenges and Prospects. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 120, 299–307.
Neff, R. A., Spiker, M. L., & Truant, P. L. (2015). Wasted food: US consumers' reported awareness, attitudes, and behaviors. PLoS One, 10. e0127881
Ocicka, B., & Ra?niewska, M. (2018). Food waste reduction as a challenge in supply chains management. LogForum 14(4), 549-561. https://doi.org/10.17270/J.LOG.2018.303
Ogiemwonyi, O., Harun, A. B., Alam, M. N., Karim, A. M., Tabash, M. I., Hossain, M. I., Aziz, S., Abbasi, B., A. & Ojuolape, M., A. (2020). Green product as a means of expressing green behaviour: A cross-cultural empirical evidence from Malaysia and Nigeria. Environmental Technology & Innovation, 101055. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eti.2020.101055
Ong, K. L., Kaur, G., Pensupa, N., Uisan, K., & Lin, C. S. K. (2017). Trends in Food waste valorization for the production of chemicals, materials and fuels: Case Study South and Southeast Asia, Bioresource Technology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2017.06.076
Papargyropoulou, E., Steinberger, J. K., Wright, N., Lozano, R., Padfield, R., & Ujang, Z. (2019). Patterns and Causes of Food Waste in the Hospitality and Food Service Sector: Food Waste Prevention Insights from Malaysia. Sustainability, 11(21), 6016. https://doi.org/10.3390 /su11216016
Pearson, D., Minehan, M., & Wakefield-Rann, R. (2013). Food waste in Australian households: why does it occur? Austr. Pacif. J. Reg. Food Stud, 3, 118-132.
Ponis, S. T., Papanikolaou, P. A., Katimertzoglou, P., Ntalla, A. C., & Xenos, K. I. (2017). Household food waste in Greece: A questionnaire survey. Journal of Cleaner Production, 149, 1268-1277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.02.165
Porter, S. D., Reay, D. S., Higgins, P., & Bomberg, E. (2016). A half-century of production-phase greenhouse gas emissions from food loss & waste in the global food supply chain. Sci. Total Environ, 571, 721-729. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.041.
Pyar, H., Liong, M., T., & Peh, K., K. (2014). Potentials of pineapple waste as growth medium for Lactobacillus species. International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 6(1), 142– 145.
Qi, D., & Roe, B. E. (2016). Household food waste: multivariate regression and principal components analyses of awareness and attitudes among US consumers. PLoS One, 11. e0159250
Ramdzan, S. N., Abdul Kadir, A., Kamil, M. N. A. F., Shahabuddin, N. A. S., & Mizad, M. (2018). Implementation of Food Waste Composting in Malaysia.Water and Environmental Issues (Vol.2) Micropollutant Research Centre (MPRC) ISBN 978-967-2183-94-5 35 2018
Rezai, G., Teng, P. K., Mohamed, Z., & Shamsudin, M. N. (2012). Consumers’ awareness and consumption intention towards green foods. African Journal of Business Management, 6(12), https://doi.org/10.5897/AJBM11.
Salehudin, J., Albattat, A., Azizul, J., Nurfarzana, R., & Syed Norazam, S. M. K. (2020). Food Wastage Awareness Among Restaurant Consumers in Subang Jaya. International Journal of Scientific and Technology Research, 9(1), ISSN 2277-8616 1232 Ijstr2020 www.ijstr.org
Sawasdee, A., Rodboonsong, S., & Joemsittiprasert, W. (2020). Reducing food waste generation in Thailand through environmental consciousness, green marketing, and purchasing discipline: Mediating role of recycling behavior. World Food Policy, wfp2.12010. https://doi.org/10.1002/wfp2.12010
Schanes, K., Dobernig, K., & Gözet, B. (2018). Food waste matters - A systematic review of household food waste practices and their policy implications, Journal of Cleaner Production. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.02.030.
Wahidah, S. A. G. (2017). Food Waste in Malaysia: Trends, Current Practices and Key Challenges. FFTC Agricultural Policy Articles. http://ap.fftc.agnet.org/ap_db.php?id=774&print=1
Stancu, V., Haugaard, P., & Lahteenmaki, L. (2016). Determinants of consumer food waste behaviour: two routes to food waste. Appetite, 96, 7-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet .2015.08.025
SWCorp Kompendium Pengurusan Sisa Pepejal Malaysia. (2019). Perbadanan Pengurusan Sisa Pepejal dan Pembersihan Awam, K. P. dan K. T. M.
Thi, N. B. D., Kumar, G., & Lin, C. Y. (2015). An overview of food waste management in developing countries: current status and future perspective. Journal of Environmental Management 157: 220-229.
Thyberg, K. L., & Tonjes, D. J. (2016). Drivers of food waste and their implications for sustainable policy development. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 106, 110–123. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.11.016
Vermeir, I., Weijters, B., De Houwer, J., Geuens, M., Slabbinck, H., Spruyt, A., Van Kerckhove, A., Van Lippevelde, W., De Steur, H., & Verbeke, W. (2020). Environmentally Sustainable Food Consumption: A Review and Research Agenda from a Goal-Directed Perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1603. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01603
Yadav, R., & Pathak, G. S. (2016). Intention to purchase organic food among young consumers: Evidences from a developing nation. Appetite, 96, 122-128.
Yogananda, A. P. Y., & Nair, P. B. (2019). Green food product purchase intention: Factors influencing Malaysian consumers. In: Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 27(2),1131-1144.
Zain, N. A. M., Shen, N. S., Suhaimi, M. S., Hasan, N. B., & Aziman, S. N. (2012). Potential use of liquid pinapple waste for bioethanol production by immobilized Bakers' yeast. J. Teknologi, 59(1), 43-47.
Zamri, G. B., Azizal, A. N. K., Nakamura, S., Okada, K., Nordin, N. H., Othman, N., Akhir, F. N. M. D., Sobian, A., Kaida, N., & Hara, H. (2019). Delivery, Impact and Approach of Household Food Waste Reduction Campaigns. Journal of Cleaner Production, 118969.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118969
Zen, I. S., Ahamad, R., & Omar, W. (2013). No plastic bag campaign day in Malaysia and the policy implication. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 15, 1-11.
Zeng, T., Durif, F., & Robinot, E. (2021). Can eco-design packaging reduce consumer food waste? an experimental study. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 162, 120342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120342
Zepeda, L., & Nie, C. (2012). What Are the Odds of Being an Organic or Local Food Shopper? Multivariate Analysis of US Food Shopper Lifestyle Segments. Agriculture and Human Values, 29(4), 467–480.
Zhang, X., & Dong, F. (2020). Why Do Consumers Make Green Purchase Decisions? Insights from a Systematic Review. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 17, 6607. https://doi.org/10.3390 /ijerph17186607
In-Text Citation: (Zain & Rahman, 2021)
To Cite this Article: Zain, I. N. M., & Rahman, H. A. (2021). Food Waste Management and Green Purchasing Behaviour Among Youths in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 11(15), 61–76.
Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode