Consumer Perceptions of Food Deterioration: White Mushrooms as a Case Study.

Food waste reduction is a key strategy for promoting sustainability. Nevertheless, drivers for food waste at the consumer level remain unclear. Thus, this study aimed to (1) identify spoilage cues that drive consumer decisions to discard food; (2) map differences in consumer perceptions when evaluating spoilage in general or targeted to a specific commodity, that is, white mushrooms; and (3) explore associations between habits, perceptions, and responses to a product at different shelf-life stages. To this end, a survey was released in Canada in 2025. Information from 2524 respondents on food purchasing habits and views on food and mushroom freshness was collected. The use of open-ended questions allowed the collection of candid responses, suggesting consumers primarily rely on visual cues of microbial growth to assess food spoilage in general and the remaining shelf life of white mushrooms. Moreover, microbial proliferation, discoloration, and structural defects were strongly associated with spoilage. Although consumer-identified attributes overall aligned with instrumentally reported measures of mushroom spoilage in the literature (e.g., enzymatic browning, softening, and microbial growth), a discrepancy was observed for cap opening, which was perceived as a cue for freshness. Additionally, product heterogeneity played a pivotal role in spoilage assessment, with tissue-specific discoloration-particularly in the cap and stem-strongly influencing acceptance. This study mapped the different terms associated with food and mushroom spoilage and their interactions, as well as provided insights on the role of product tissue and heterogeneity in decision-making, which can be used to inform effective communication and mitigation strategies to curb food waste.