Fruits and vegetable waste management behavior among retailers in Kumasi, Ghana

The amount of food wasted globally and its proper management is a great concern for authorities and researchers to help curb the menace. The more food is wasted, the greater insecurity the world faces with accompanying environmental problems. In addressing this issue, the norm activation model and the theory of planned behavior are combined to assess retailers’ fruits and vegetable waste management behavior. With empirical data from 376 respondents in Kumasi - Ghana, analysis was made using partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The study found that subjective norm affects attitude and intention positively. Also, attitude towards fruit and vegetable waste behavior was identified to influence intention positively. There was a positive influence from both awareness of consequence and ascription of responsibility on personal norms. Personal norms positively influence retailers’ intentions. Knowledge positively affects both intention and behavior towards fruits and vegetable waste. Behavioral intention influenced behavior strongly. These findings and their suggested policy implications provide great insights into fruits and vegetable waste management.