Do food delivery apps influence food waste generation? A stimulus-organism-behavior-consequence (SOBC) exploration

Abstract

Purpose

Food waste in the hospitality sector has emerged as a global concern. Various technology-driven online food services such as the food delivery apps (FDA) contribute to hospitality food waste. FDA users might behave irresponsibly by ordering more foods than required which may lead to food waste generation. To date, limited studies have been attempted to understand how consumers’ over-ordering behavior through FDA result in hospitality food waste.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze survey data from 248 FDA users.

Findings

The results indicated that perceived convenience and trust positively influence consumers' attitude toward FDA, which in turn promotes over-ordering behavior. Interestingly, the anticipated positive relationship between price advantage and attitude toward FDA was not supported by the data. Furthermore, the authors confirmed that over-ordering behavior contributes to food waste, an outcome that has crucial implications for both the hospitality sector and sustainability efforts.

Originality/value

The current study employs the stimulus-organism-behavior-consequence (SOBC) theory to investigate the catalysts and consequences of over-ordering behavior via FDA. This study thus highlights the importance of the SOBC model in understanding consumer behavior.

Citation

Islam, S.A., Jones, R.P., Akhi, A.A. and Talukder, M.S. (2024), "Do food delivery apps influence food waste generation? A stimulus-organism-behavior-consequence (SOBC) exploration", British Food Journal, Vol. 126 No. 2, pp. 879-897. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-07-2023-0648