Introduction

Food losses and waste are considered one of the biggest environmental and social problems worldwide. Regarding waste, international evidence shows that most of it occurs at the household level, representing an avoidable economic and nutritional cost for families. To date, there are no studies on this subject in Chile. Objective: Describe the family eating behavior regarding food waste, through the design and validation of a survey applied in a sample of households in Chile and determine the nutritional cost of the waste generated.

Material and Methods

Descriptive and prospective experimental study where, by means of an instrument validated, sociodemographic data and variables of food behavior (purchase, preparation, consumption, and attitude) were determined, in addition, the caloric intake and of macro and micronutrients of the waste generated by a sample of 15 households in the metropolitan region was calculated.

Results

According to the survey, families did not have purchase planning strategies generating surplus consumption, a behavior that is not indifferent to them, showing a positive disposition to reduce it. The average waste per household in a week was 3.65kg composed mainly of fruits and vegetables. This amount and/or type of waste did not show a significant relationship with the behavioral variables. The nutritional cost of the waste was 4,335 average kcal per household, coming mostly from carbohydrates. The most affected micronutrients were vitamins C, B3 and K, Sodium, Potassium, Iron and Copper either by quantity or with respect to the requirement.

Conclusions

The data obtained on quantification, composition, food behavior and nutritional impact of the waste generated by Chilean households, represents an advance to generate national strategies that aim at reducing it and promoting sustainable consumption.

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