Predicting environmentally friendly eating out behavior by value-attitude-behavior theory: does being vegetarian reduce food waste?

Abstract

Growing concerns over the environment and climate has led to increased interest in environmentally friendly eating out, especially with respect to the need to reduce waste in the restaurant and catering sector as well as the adoption of new food norms, such as vegetarianism and veganism. The purpose of this study is to build and test an extended value (perceived value on sustainability)-attitude (attitude, personal norm, and social norm on waste reduction)-behavior (VAB) model to predict sustainable eating out behavior at restaurants. In addition, the moderating effect of being vegetarian or not is tested in relation to the VAB theory. The results reveal that the perceived value on sustainability has a highly significant effect on attitude, personal norms, and social norms on waste reduction. In addition, adoption of environmentally friendly eating is positively influenced, in descending order, by personal norms, social norms, and attitudes towards waste reduction. Furthermore, the eating styles of non-vegetarians and vegetarians moderate the six hypotheses on the VAB model.

Keywords:

• Waste reduction
• environmentally friendly eating
• value-attitude-behavior theory
• vegetarianism
• climate change

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Myung Ja Kim

Myung Ja Kim is Kim is Kim is an assistant professor in the College of Hotel & Tourism Management at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, Korea. Her research focuses on information and communication technology (ICT), open innovation, crowdfunding for the environment, eating out for sustainability, and peace and eco-tourism development for Korean DMZ by big data analytics and artificial intelligence. She has published over 30 SSCI international journal articles and has been recently awarded several research grants regarding tourism-related ICTs.

Colin Michael Hall

Colin Michael Hall is a Professor at University of Canterbury, New Zealand; Visiting Professor, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden; Visiting lecturer, Lund University Helsingborg campus, Sweden; and Docent, University of Oulu, Finland. Co-editor of Current Issues in Tourism he has published widely on tourism, regional development, global environmental change, food, sustainability and World Heritage.

Dae-Kwan Kim

Dae-Kwan Kim is a Professor in the College of Hotel & Tourism Management at Kyung Hee University and also President of Korea Culture & Tourism Institute. His research interests include tourism, leisure, tourism development, sustainability, and policies of meeting, incentives tour, conference, exhibition. He has been in charge of deans and directors of his university and published more than 100 journal articles, books, and research reports on hospitality and tourism industry as well as policies and regional development.