Participatory and multi-disciplinary science dataset and surveys for the assessment of the microbiological and behavioural factors influencing fresh fruits and vegetables' waste at home

TL;DR

This study explores how microbiological and behavioral factors contribute to fresh fruit and vegetable waste in French households, using citizen science and connected bins to measure waste and identify solutions.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel, participatory dataset combining microbiological and behavioral data to assess domestic FFV waste.

Findings

Connected bins enabled real-time measurement of FFV waste volumes in 49 households.

Consumer behaviors and microbial contamination levels were linked to spoilage and waste patterns.

Survey data identified clusters of consumers with distinct anti-FFV waste practices.

Abstract

Fresh fruits and vegetables (FFV) represent the largest part of food waste at the consumer level. This waste directly results from FFV physiological and microbiological spoilage, itself intricately linked to behavioural factors such as consumer practices, including purchase, storage and hygiene practices, but also consumers’ perceptions towards spoilage. Based on a dual approach combining microbiological and behavioural sciences, we examined the link between FFV waste produced by 49 volunteering French households, measured using connected bins, the microbial ecology of their storage compartments, using culture-dependent and -independent approaches, and their consumer behaviour, cleaning and storage practices, through in-depth interviews and a dedicated survey. An exploratory qualitative survey carried out on 17 individuals followed by two quantitative data collections on 1048 and 815 representative French consumers enabled us to identify anti-FFV waste practices and to cluster consumers according to their anti-FFV waste behaviours. Spoilage dynamics of commonly consumed FFV, according to storage temperature, microbial contamination level and the presence or absence of surface wounds, were also performed in controlled conditions. This citizen-science-based dataset covers a wide array of microbiological and behavioural factors related to domestic FFV waste, as well as real measurements of waste volumes thanks to the innovative use of connected bins. Altogether, this data could provide interesting insights into more effective and accessible guidelines for FFV waste reduction at the consumer level, and thus to a potential reduction of global food waste and its related costs.

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