Estimate of the household food waste quantity

Otpad hrane predstavlja ozbiljan društveni, ekonomski i okolišni problem na svjetskoj razini. Kako bi se osigurala hrane i održivost sustava, potrebno je spriječiti ili barem smanjiti otpad hrane u svim fazama lanca opskrbe hranom, pogotovo u kućanstvima budući da otpad hrane u kućanstvima u najvećem udjelu pridonosi ukupnoj količini otpada hrane. Istraživanje je provedeno pomoću on-line upitnika s ciljem procjene količine otpada hrane u kućanstvima te čimbenika koji utječu na njegov nastanak. Prikupljeno je 252 ispitanika starijih od 16 godina, podaci su obrađeni u statističkom paketu SPSS v. 20.0. Procijenjeno je da se u kućanstvima baci malo ili gotovo ništa hrane (5-20% tjedne potrošnje hrane). Pokazana je statistički značajna povezanost otpada hrane u kućanstvima s demografskim čimbenicima poput veličine i vrste kućanstva, te određenim bihevioralnim čimbenicima vezanima uz kupovinu, pripremu i skladištenje hrane te prehranu i životni stil. Dobiveni rezultati upućuju na potrebe intenzivne edukacije stanovništva o ovom problemu i njegovom rješavanju.Food waste represents a severe social, economic and environmental issue on a global scale. To ensure food safety and sustainability of the system, it is necessary to prevent or at least reduce food waste and food loss in all stages of the food supply chain, especially in the households since the households food waste accounts for the largest share in the total amount of food waste. The study was conducted using an on-line questionnaire in order to estimate the amount of food waste in households as well as the factors that affect its generation. 252 respondents were collected and the data were processed with the statistical package SPSS v. 20.0. It is estimated that households throw little or almost none food (5-20% of weekly food consumption). Statistically significant correlation was found between household food waste and demographic factors such as the household size and type and also with certain behavioral factors related to food purchasing, preparation, storage and nutrition and lifestyle. The results suggest intensive education of the population on this issue and its solutions