Food waste in European Households: A Meta-Analysis of behavioural drivers and quantitative trends

European households waste > 70 kg of food per capita yearly. With the deadline for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals rapidly approaching, the urgency of the food waste situation is increasing, but attempts at solving the problem are ineffective. This study aimed to explore the problem of household food waste (HFW) at a European level and subsequently explain why interventions are failing. It used a meta-analysis exploring 77 studies into HFW and behavioural drivers of waste. Generalised results show richer countries waste less, while poorer countries have a more complex relationship to food waste. Three key conclusions emerge. Firstly, for HFW, there is only a weak or no GDP effect in Europe. Secondly, there is high within-country variability in European HFW. Thirdly, there are nonlinear and context-dependent drivers on European HFW. The main behavioural drivers to food waste are knowledge and understanding, health-related concerns about "out-of-date" food, and an increase in eating for convenience. We provide an explicit articulation of future research directions for HFW studies, practical implications, as well as highlighting gaps in current knowledge that remain unresolved. We provide three key recommendations for future policy in terms of HFW reduction initiatives, highlighting that no single strategy will solve the food waste problem and that the most effective actions must involve the consumer.