Communication of food waste messages: The effects of communication modality, presentation order, and mindfulness on food waste reduction intention

This study investigates how businesses can persuade customers to participate in food waste reduction efforts by using communication strategies. Grounded in information processing and persuasion theories, we conducted two studies. In study 1, a focus group interview was performed to explore how customers process food waste communication from foodservice operations. In study 2, a 2 (communication modality: written vs. verbal) × 2 (presentation order: before meals vs. during meals) × 2 (mindfulness: low vs. high) between-subjects design quasi experiment was conducted to examine these interaction effects on customers’ intention to support the restaurants’ food waste reduction efforts. The findings are consistent across the two studies. The findings indicate that people with low mindfulness have lower intention to participate when the message is delivered verbally (vs. written) and the message is prompted before meals (vs. during meals). Conversely, people with high mindfulness tend to have higher intention to participate regardless of communication modality and presentation order.