Kristine Myhrer Svartebekk has analysed how Norwegian families with children can cut food waste through targeted and practical everyday measures. “The results show that increased awareness of one’s own food waste, combined with simple, practical solutions, can contribute to lasting changes in behaviour,” she says.
In her doctoral research, Svartebekk examined how food waste in Norwegian families with children can be reduced through targeted, practical, and everyday measures. With a particular focus on the dinner meal, her work analyses how habits, attitudes, and concrete tools influence decisions about using or discarding food, and how different families respond differently to attempts at change.
Below, she answers four questions about her research:
Why is this research important?
It is important to study household food waste because a large share (47%) of all food waste occurs in private homes, and because the evening meal is a central yet demanding part of everyday family life. Food waste has environmental, economic, and ethical consequences, and reducing it is an important contribution to a more sustainable food system.
What were the goals of you phd-work?
The aim of the workwas to understand how food waste can be reduced in ways that genuinely work for busy families with children. Instead of focusing solely on awareness campaigns, I wanted to explore the combination of knowledge, motivation, and practical everyday tools – and to test these measures in real homes over time.
What are your most important results?
The findings show that there is no single solution that works for everyone. Families have different attitudes, habits, and motivations toward food waste, which affects which measures are effective. Based on personality traits and environmental awareness, three overarching consumer profiles were identified, differing in both motivation and willingness to change in relation to sustainable behaviour: those who need to change their practices (Need to Change), those who want to change (Want to Change), and those who find it more difficult to change (Hard to Change).
The main contribution of the thesis is an experimental intervention program aimed at families with children, combining the use of leftovers and leftover ingredients in dinner preparation with simple online learning resources. The program led to a significant short-term reduction in food waste, with a lasting effect one year after the intervention. The effect was particularly strong among families with a clear need for change (Need to Change).
What is the potential impact of your research?
The significance of this research lies in its contribution of new knowledge about how measures can be designed to be more targeted and effective. The results show that increased awareness of one’s own food waste, combined with simple, practical solutions, can lead to lasting behavioural change.
The work is relevant for further research on consumer behaviour and sustainability, and provides a knowledge base for policymakers and voluntary organisations seeking to develop more targeted and scalable strategies to reduce household food waste.
Fact box:
Kristine Myhrer Svartebekk
- Previous education: Master’s degree in Food Science, NMBU
- From: Ås, Norway
- Doctorate: Completed at NMBU’s Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science and at Nofima
- Funding: BIONÆR funding programme from the Research Council of Norway and the Norwegian Fund for Research Fees for Agricultural Products (FFL)
- Title of the thesis:
- English:From waste to awareness: designing household food waste interventions across consumer profiles
- Norwegian:Fra svinn til bevissthet: utforming av tiltak mot matsvinn i husholdninger på tvers av forbrukerprofiler
- Main supervisor: Dr. Valérie Lengard Almli, Senior Scientist, Department of Innovation, Consumer and Sensory Science, Nofima, and Associate Professor, Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science (KBM), NMBU
- Co-supervisors: Mari Øvrum Gaarder, Research Director, Department of Innovation, Consumer and Sensory Science, Nofima and Siv Kjølsrud Bøhn, Professor, Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science (KBM), NMBU