Household food wastage in Albania: causes, extent and implications

Food waste (FW) is a very serious issue not only in ethical and social terms, but also given its economic and environmental impacts (cf. resource wastage and depletion). Recent data show that more than half of food wastage in the European Union is generated in households. FW is unfortunately not well addressed in Albania. For this reason, an exploratory online survey was carried out in the period August–November 2016 with 185 Albanians to analyse the causes, extent and implications of household food wastage in Albania. Most of the respondents have a high education level, which might have affected the survey’s outcomes. Nevertheless, results showed that awareness about negative impacts of FW is still low. Alongside, although FW seems high, few public initiatives and campaigns are put in place to tackle the issue. Therefore, it’s time to move towards a comprehensive strategy that raises awareness on FW negative impacts in the Albanian society and increases knowledge on food purchase management, consumption habits and related food storage.