Towards sustainable food consumption: understanding household food waste drivers for improved waste management in urban Vietnam

Households are a major source of food waste, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, resource inefficiencies, and food insecurity. While the behavioural drivers of food waste are increasingly studied, few distinguish between households that primarily waste raw ingredients and those that primarily waste cooked food—an important distinction for urban-level interventions. This study uses primary survey data from 642 households in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It applies Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modelling (CB-SEM) to investigate the psychological and behavioural factors shaping food waste during home cooking. Findings reveal that intention does not significantly translate into reduced waste, indicating an intention–behaviour gap. Cooking ability and understanding of family food preferences consistently reduce food waste across household types, whereas planning and storage practices show limited effects. Notably, feelings of guilt are unexpectedly associated with higher waste among cooked-food-wasting households—potentially due to post-rationalisation. A supplementary exploratory Variance-Based SEM (VB-SEM) model of 113 zero-waste households shows that intention more strongly predicts this group’s planning and storage behaviours. These findings highlight the need for context-specific, behaviourally informed interventions that target distinct household segments. Differentiated strategies are essential to reducing food waste and promoting sustainable consumption in rapidly urbanising cities like Ho Chi Minh City.