Regulative and Cognitive Institutional Pillars Moderate the Relationship Between National Culture and Household Food Waste
Food Ethics, vol.11, no.2, 2026 (Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 11 Issue: 2
- Publication Date: 2026
- Doi Number: 10.1007/s41055-026-00233-0
- Journal Name: Food Ethics
- Journal Indexes: Scopus
- Keywords: Cognition, Collectivism, Household food waste, Regulation, Uncertainty avoidance
- Anadolu University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
Household food waste is a global sustainability problem due to its significant environmental and economic burdens. Despite increasing policy interest in reducing food waste, cross-country evidence on how cultural and institutional factors shape it remains limited. To address this gap, the study draws on new institutional theory to examine how selected national cultural dimensions are associated with food waste across 104 countries and how regulatory and cognitive institutions moderate these relationships. Analysis of secondary country-level data reveals a positive relationship between collectivism and food waste generation, while uncertainty avoidance has no significant effect. The findings further show that regulatory and cognitive institutions moderate the relationship between collectivism and food waste. In collectivist societies, weaker regulatory effectiveness and cognitive pressures are associated with increased food waste. The study provides evidence on the cultural and institutional determinants of global food waste generation and offers new insights for the design of targeted reduction interventions.