Research On Hidden Waste Of Food Consumption And Its Influencing Factors

In recent years,China’s grain production and imports have remained at a high level,but rising agricultural production costs and tightening resource and environmental constraints,coupled with changes in the domestic and international environment,have posed challenges to further enhance the level of grain supply.The pressure on food supply persists as a result of rigid growth.Curbing the high demand for food requires reducing food waste.While food waste at the table is obvious to all,food waste beyond the table,such as overconsumption of food,should also be taken seriously,as the per capita energy intake of the Chinese population has exceeded the recommended amount,leading to overweight and obesity,and placing a burden on China’s health care system.Excessive food intake that is not properly utilized should also be considered as a form of waste,but this hidden food waste is often overlooked.In this context,it is of great practical importance to study hidden food waste and its influencing factors in order to reduce unreasonable food demand,reduce pressure on food supply and improve the degree of food security.Scholars at home and abroad have conducted a series of useful studies on food security and reached many valuable conclusions,but the research focuses on food waste at the table and increasing food production,and not enough attention has been paid to hidden food waste.In this paper,we measure the scale of hidden food waste,assess the level of waste and compare the differences in hidden food waste among different groups of people based on CHNS large sample data and existing studies;use OLS models to analyze the effects of lifestyle,stress perception and dietary knowledge on hidden food waste;control for factors affecting hidden food waste based on empirical results,simulate the effects of countermeasures,and analyze the amount of food demand that can be reduced and the extent to which it can The results of the study were summarized,and the main findings and countermeasure suggestions were summarized to provide a basis for decision making to reduce hidden food waste,reduce the incidence of overweight and obesity,improve national health,relieve pressure on food supply and ensure food security.The study found that:firstly,about 63.47%of the residents had hidden food waste,and about 96%of the individuals had hidden food waste of less than 600 kcal,about 72%of consumers have relatively unhealthy lifestyles,and most consumers’ dietary knowledge is not fully grasped and is still at a relatively low level;secondly,lifestyle and dietary knowledge had a significant negative impact on hidden food waste,the healthier the lifestyle and the higher the dietary knowledge,the lower the level of hidden food waste;stress perception had a negative impact on hidden food waste,with the feeling of being out of control having a more significant impact.Thirdly,by promoting healthy lifestyles and dietary knowledge to intervene in hidden food waste,the amount of hidden food waste could be reduced by 719,013,500 million kcal per year,equivalent to 2,268 million kg of wheat or 2,079 million kg of rice,which could alleviate 1.66%of the pressure on wheat production or 0.98%of the pressure on rice production.Based on the above findings,this paper proposes the following countermeasures:quit smoking,limit alcohol,reduce oil and sugar,and promote healthy lifestyles;innovate the form of dietary knowledge promotion,and intervene precisely according to the characteristics of the population;pay attention to hidden food waste,and reduce the occurrence of overweight and obesity.