Tools- of Changes

Literature Review – Reducing Consumer Plate Waste

This 2025 study presents a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed journals regarding barriers, motivators, utilisation and effectiveness of marketing in plate waste reduction, and current theories used in plate waste reduction programs over the past decade.

1. The barriers to reducing plate waste are mainly based on individual factors, including attitude towards food quality, perception of plate waste, individual habits, and knowledge and information exchange.
2. The motivators for reducing plate waste are broadly driven by two kinds of factors: those on the management side and those on the customer side.
   1. Those on the management side include (i) dining facilities and settings, (ii) management frontline (staff training, waste measurement, and menu design/planning) and (iii) awareness campaigns
   2. Those on the customer side involve (i) dining options and services (portion size, serving style adjustment, and dinnerware adjustment) and (ii) financial incentives and penalties from restaurants.