Mobile apps against food waste: Are consumers willing to use them? A Critical Review - UGC0725018

The article Mobile apps against food waste: Are consumers willing to use them? by Luca Fraccascia and Alberto Nastasi published in Resources, Conservation & Recycling Advances (2023) examines consumers' willingness to use mobile apps that claim to contribute to mitigating the food waste problem. These apps are aimed at highlighting supermarkets, food shops, and restaurants where consumers can get the surplus food that businesses are unlikely to sell at the end of the day at lower prices than market ones. This is an important topic because food wastage is a global issue and digital tools are becoming a major part of promoting sustainability. 

The main idea of this paper was to figure out what makes Italian consumers want to use these food waste apps. They looked at a bunch of factors; how useful these apps are (perceived utility), how easy it to use these apps (perceived ease of use) and whether people trust these apps with protecting their privacy (perceived risks). In addition to these factors, another three affecting consumer behavior against food waste was also hypothesized; if people are picky eaters (food neophobia), what they think about food wastage issues (moral attitude) and if they have the knowledge about storing food (food conservation). To do this, they gave a survey to 283 Italian consumers. Results showed that if the app was useful and easy to use, people are more likely to want the app. However, if the app poses a threat to the consumers' privacy, they're less likely to use it. Interestingly, the three consumer-related factors; being a picky eater, having strong morals about food waste and knowing how to conserve food, was proven to be insignificant. 

The paper has several strengths. Firstly, it is well-organized, easy to follow and is backed up by solid data analyses. Next, the authors clearly explain their research question and link it to existing theories which provides a strong academic foundation. Further, the use of validated statistical methods, such as Cronbach's alpha and regression analyses show evidence of good convergent validity thus making the findings more valuable. Lastly, the topic itself is also highly relevant as it combines technology, sustainability, and consumer behavior. 

In contrast, some limitations must also be acknowledged. First, data comes from a convenience sample. Only 283 consumers were given the survey. Such a sampling technique might not ensure the sample is fully representative of the overall population. Moreover, the survey was conducted with only young consumers. This may not reflect the opinions of the older and less tech-savvy people. Further, since the research is focused only on Italian consumers, the findings might differ in countries with different cultures and levels of technology in use. The paper could have also explored more deeply as to why moral attitude and knowledge about food conservation did not result in a more significant impact. 

I found the study interesting and quite realistic. It made me realize that convenience often outweighs moral reasoning when people decide to use technology for good causes. I also learned how much factors such as usability and privacy impacts whether people trust apps. The study was convincing overall but including participants from other countries would have made the findings stronger and more universal. It reminded me that while technology can help solve global problems, peoples' behavior still depends on how useful and convenient it is for them to use it. 

Overall, it's a decent first step into understanding why people might or might not use food waste apps. Future research could definitely improve by getting a more diverse group of people for the survey, looking at different kinds of food waste apps, and maybe even comparing attitudes across different countries. It would also be interesting to see if people actually use the apps after downloading them, not just if they're willing to use them.

Mobile apps against food waste: Are consumers willing to use them? - Resources, Conservation & Recycling Advances 18 (2023) 200150