Consumer Behaviors and Attitudes Related to the Removal of Edible Parts of Fresh Vegetables during Home Cooking

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate behaviors and attitudes related to the removal and disposal of edible parts of fresh vegetables during home cooking. I conducted a questionnaire survey of consumers who were mainly responsible for cooking at home, in which I showed some edible parts of popular vegetables and asked whether they removed those parts and what they thought about them. The results suggest that 1) more than 50 percent of the total participants remove parts around potato skins, parts around carrot petioles, outer layers of cabbages, and carrot and daikon radish skins; 2) more participants in their 20s and 30s remove edible parts than those in their 40s and over; 3) most participants who remove edible parts consider convenience in preparation and remove them to eliminate unwanted parts completely; 4) participants who remove edible parts often regard them as tasteless and participants who remove the outer layers of cabbages and the parts around spinach stems often regard them as dirty, stale, or different in color or texture; and 5) there is almost no correlation between beliefs about food waste problems and tendency to remove edible parts.