Consumers’ behaviours and attitudes toward doggy bags: Identifying barriers and benefits to promoting behaviour change

About this resource: An analysis of survey data and focus group discussions were held to identify the barriers and benefits of consumers’ current doggy bag behaviours and provides the information required to run an effective community-based social marketing campaign encouraging consumers to take their uneaten restaurant and café food home. Convenience and social stigma-related factors were barriers to widespread doggy bag behaviours, while the rational appeal of “saving money” was found to be the most effective motivator for encouraging doggy bag usage. Social marketing strategies and behaviour change tools can be developed to remove the barriers and enhance the benefits of using doggy bags, such as developing positive social norms around using doggy bags and highlighting the financial incentive of using them.

Food Waste Innovation Authors: Miranda Mirosa

Citation: Mirosa, M., Liu, Y. & Mirosa, R. (2018) Consumers’ Behaviors and Attitudes toward Doggy Bags: Identifying Barriers and Benefits to Promoting Behavior Change. Journal of Food Products Marketing, 24(5), 563-590.