How to Reduce Food Waste Caused by Normative Illusion? A Study Based on Evolutionary Game Model Analysis

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Behavioral Economics
• Game Theory

Background:

• Food waste poses a significant threat to food security and agricultural sustainability.
• Psychological factors driving consumer food waste are often neglected in existing research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze collaborative strategies for food waste reduction among government, caterers, and consumers.
• To explore the impact of psychological factors, specifically consumers' normative illusion, on food waste behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Utilized evolutionary game theory to construct a collaborative model.
• Simulated and analyzed the behavioral strategies of government, caterers, and consumers.
• Introduced the concept of consumers' normative illusion into the model.

Main Results:

• Food waste reduction is achievable through incentive-guided and punishment-inhibited policies.
• Incentive-guided policies are more economical for government expenditure.
• Optimizing intervention strategies and reducing consumer dissatisfaction enhances policy effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• Collaborative efforts between government, caterers, and consumers are crucial for effective food waste reduction.
• Specific cost-sharing models can incentivize cooperation and minimize consumer waste.
• Reducing consumer dissatisfaction with interventions is key to achieving cooperative outcomes.