This study examines digital sustainability signals and the psychological mechanisms (authenticity and trust) that relate to consumers’ sustainable food purchase intentions. While the attitude–behavior gap remains a persistent challenge in sustainability research, our study focuses on upstream factors that may help explain why intentions vary in strength. Drawing on signaling theory, this research develops and tests a framework that combines positive signals (e.g., influencer credibility) and negative signals (e.g., perceived greenwashing) to investigate the impact on green brand authenticity, brand trust, and purchase intention. Data were gathered from a survey of 324 adult social media users who follow influencers with a focus on sustainability and have recent experience buying eco-labeled food products. Using PLS-SEM, results indicate that influencer credibility has a significant and positive effect on perceptions of green brand authenticity, whereas the influence of greenwashing has a significant and negative effect. Authenticity shows a strong prediction of brand trust, and this in turn predicts green purchase intentions with trust mediating the authenticity–intention relationship to some degree. The results indicate authenticity as a key mechanism by which digital signals affect sustainable consumption. The research provides practical insights for food brands seeking to strengthen the psychological conditions that support sustainable consumption intentions.

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the issue of household food waste in Greece, with an emphasis on assessing the level of awareness and key behaviours among consumers. Moreover, the study focuses on examining consumer behaviours related to food waste and identifying distinct consumer profiles that can provide valuable insights into the issue in order to uncover unique behavioural factors and offer targeted interventions to curb food waste in the country.Design/methodology/approach: A nationwide survey was conducted in Greece using a structured online questionnaire, which was sent to 1,270 participants, through the snowball technique. However, due to some incomplete responses, only 1,238 of the responses were considered suitable for analysis. Common descriptive statistics were used to sketch the respondents' profiles, and a non-hierarchical K-means cluster analysis was performed to identify distinct subgroups in the sample.Findings: The study revealed a significant level of food waste awareness among Greek consumers. The cluster analysis identified four distinct consumer groups and substantial differences among them. Notably, sociodemographic analysis underscored a pronounced inclination towards food wastage among younger individuals. Additionally, each cluster's attributes, including their environmental awareness, shopping behaviours meal-planning tendencies and propensity for excess purchases, were examined. Consequently, this study underscored the imperative for targeted informational campaigns tailored for consumer segmentation, offering a pathway to identify prospective interventions conducive to the promotion of sustainable food-consumption practices.Originality/value: The originality and value of this work lie in its unique focus on addressing the significant issue of household food waste within the context of Greece. What sets this study apart is the application of non-hierarchical K-means cluster analysis (which allowed the authors to identify distinct consumer profiles), a method not widely utilised in the Greek context. By filling this knowledge gap, this study offers crucial insights that can inform targeted interventions aimed at reducing food waste, in alignment with global sustainability initiatives such as the United Nations Agenda 2030 and the European Union's “Farm to Fork” strategy. Additionally, this study contributes to the efforts to provide innovative solutions to prevent household food waste and foster a sustainable future in an ever-changing international environment marked by various crises

This study investigates key demographic and behavioural factors influencing food waste behaviours among Greek consumers, offering insights into effective waste reduction strategies. Using k-means clustering, Greek consumers were segmented into three groups based on data from a structured online survey: ‘Moderate Consumers’, who demonstrate moderate awareness of food waste but lack consistent practices; ‘Indifferent Consumers’, primarily younger urban residents, with limited concern and significant contributions to waste; and ‘Conscious Consumers’, generally older individuals with structured habits that actively minimise waste. The findings reveal distinct engagement levels across these groups, highlighting the importance of tailored interventions. Conscious Consumers can serve as community advocates for sustainable practices, while Indifferent Consumers require targeted awareness campaigns to foster engagement. Moderate Consumers, with their sporadic efforts, could benefit from practical tools such as meal-planning apps. By exploring these unique consumer profiles, this research provides a culturally contextualised understanding of food waste attitudes in Greece and lays the groundwork for designing targeted strategies to encourage sustainable consumption.

Food waste is a significant challenge for modern societies, leading to environmental, social, and economic consequences. In developed countries, including Greece, food waste primarily occurs the final stage of consumption, making consumer behaviour a key factor in addressing this issue. This entry aims to highlight consumer behaviour regarding to food waste in Greece from 2012 to 2024 by synthesizing and evaluating published and unpublished research. Using a systematic review approach, this entry identifies the key trends, behavioural patterns, and determinants of food waste among Greek consumers. The findings highlight the impact of socioeconomic characteristics, economic conditions, and consumer awareness on food waste behaviour. Notably, financial constraints during economic crises have influenced waste reduction, while a growing awareness of food labelling and meal planning has emerged as a consistent trend over time. Additionally, segmentation analyses reveal distinct consumer groups based on their waste-conscious behaviours, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions. This entry contributes to the literature by offering a comprehensive overview of consumer behavioural trends over a 12-year period, identifying knowledge gaps, and proposing strategic directions for future research and policy-making. Understanding these behavioural patterns is essential for developing effective measures to reduce food waste and promote sustainable consumption practices.

The agricultural sector contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions while facing pressures to meet nutritional needs of the growing population. Reducing post-harvest food losses represents an underappreciated path to achieving net-zero emissions without requiring radical changes in production systems. In this study, the Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land-Use, and Energy (FABLE) Calculator simulates post-harvest loss (PHL) reduction scenarios, assessing their socioeconomic and environmental impacts. We model five pathways: a business-as-usual pathway entitled Current Trends, two scenarios with 25% and 50% PHL reductions, and two National Commitments pathways, combining PHL reduction with other policies. As differences between the 25% and 50% reduction pathways were limited across the main outcome variables, we focus the main discussion on the 25% pathways as the more realistic policy benchmark. Results show that reducing PHL alone reduces gross production requirements and production costs by increasing supply chain efficiency. However, only the NC-25% pathway achieves greater cost savings and emission reductions, underscoring the value of combining supply- and demand-side interventions. Ultimately, this study underscores that reducing post-harvest losses is linked to achieving many Sustainable Development Goals (henceforth SDGs) and is essential for transitioning to more sustainable agri-food systems.