Effects of a Gamified Self-Monitoring App on Household Food Waste Reduction

Food waste is a global issue, and approximately half of all food waste occurs at the consumer stage. In this study, we focused on refrigerator management behaviors in Japan. We conducted an intervention study targeting 126 households using the MOA framework to reduce household food waste. Four target behaviors were established: “search” for food that should be eaten quickly, “move” the food that should be eaten quickly to a visible place, “use” the food that should be eaten quickly, and “finish meals”. To promote behaviors that help reduce food waste, an intervention was implemented using a gamified self-monitoring app. To measure food waste at home, a cloud-based automatic weighing system was used, and participants were asked to separate avoidable food waste and to dispose of it in dedicated bins. The average weekly food waste per household decreased by 190 g (45%) in the intervention group and, in a two-way mixed ANOVA, the interaction effect was marginally significant (p < 0.10). Interactions were significant for various target behaviors, indicating that the intervention had some effect. Over 90% of the intervention group used the app five or more days per week. Participant evaluations also revealed increased motivation and reduced burden, demonstrating the effectiveness of the gamified app.