The Potential of the Mobile Application to Reduce Food Waste: The Case of a Korean App as the Surplus Food Redistribution Initiative

The Potential of the Mobile Application to Reduce Food Waste: The Case of a Korean App as the Surplus Food Redistribution Initiative

The application that provides such a service called 'Last Order' was recently introduced to Korea and gaining popularity among consumers interested in reasonable consumption and environment. We expect it as one of the effective alternatives to induce consumers' economic incentives and voluntary action to reduce food waste. This study aims to analyze the factors that determine the use of the app, and examine whether using the mobile app can help to reduce food waste. The survey was conducted by contacting 216 users of the' Last Order' mobile application for one month(August-September, 2021). With the cooperation of Last Order's management, the survey was conducted by accessing the online community of users and sharing the questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of four parts: 1) status of the app usage, 2) food waste pattern and reduction efforts, 3) food waste strategies and alternatives, 4) demographic characteristics. We find that unmarried people and a small number of households are more likely to use the mobile application. In addition to the demographic factors, the users' behavior of packing the leftover food and environmental interest has a positive, significant effect on the use of the app. Interestingly, the food purchased through the app had been less wasted than the food purchased in the general retail shops. It implies that encouraging app use can be considered one of the effective strategies to reduce food waste.