ArticleFoods (Basel, Switzerland)2021
Understanding Food Waste, Food Insecurity, and the Gap between the Two: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia.
Article in Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Animal-Origin Food Waste Across Global Supply Chains: Trends, Upcycling Strategies, and Circular Economy Solutions.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Article
- Examining the Association Between Food Insecurity, Food Literacy, and Food Intake Among Low-Income Adults in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Generational perspectives on sustainable diets in Saudi Arabia: implications for food security and behavioral change.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- Prevalence of household food insecurity and its association with food waste.The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association · 2024Article
- Metabolic Food Waste as Food Insecurity Factor-Causes and Preventions.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Challenging the Status Quo to Shape Food Systems Transformation from a Nutritional and Food Security Perspective.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundFood waste and food insecurity may co-exist in various balances in developing and developed countries. This study aimed to explore the levels of food waste and food insecurity, the factors associated with them, and their relationships at the household and individual levels in Saudi Arabia.
methodsThis study was a nationwide cross-sectional survey conducted via computer-assisted phone interviews in January 2021. Quota sampling was utilized to generate balanced distributions of participants by gender across all the administrative regions of Saudi Arabia. Data collection included household demographics, food waste and disposal, the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), and the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS).
resultsOut of the 2807 potential participants contacted, 2454 (87.4%) completed the interview. The mean age was 31.4 (SD = 11.7; range = 18-99) and 50.1% were female. The weighted prevalence of uncooked food waste in the last four weeks was 63.6% and the cooked food waste was 74.4%. However, the food insecurity weighted prevalence at the individual level (FIES) was 6.8%. In terms of food insecurity at the household level (HFIAS), 13.3% were in the "severely food insecure" category. Moreover, this study found that "moderately food insecure" households were associated with an increased likelihood to waste uncooked food (relative risk (RR) = 1.25), and the "mildly food insecure" (RR = 1.21) and "moderately food insecure" (RR = 1.17) households were associated with an increased likelihood to waste cooked food. However, "food secure" households were associated with a decreased likelihood to waste cooked food (RR = 0.56). Finally, this study identified four household factors associated with food waste and three household factors that were associated with "severe food insecurity."
conclusionsThis first national coverage study to explore food waste and food insecurity at the individual level and household level, identified household factors associated with food waste and food insecurity and identified new associations between food waste and food insecurity in Saudi Arabia. The associations found between food waste and food insecurity are potential areas of intervention to reduce both food waste and food insecurity at the same time, toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets related to food waste and food security.
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