Memory of famine: The persistent impact of famine experience on food waste behavior

• Published in: China economic review Vol. 73; p. 101795
• Main Authors: Ding, Yawen, Min, Shi, Wang, Xiaobing, Yu, Xiaohua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.06.2022
• Subjects: Famine experience; Food waste behavior; Memory utility; Preference; Memory utility; Food waste behavior; D12; Preference; Famine experience; D81; D91
• ISSN: 1043-951X; 1873-7781
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chieco.2022.101795

The 1959–1961 Great Famine in China was one of the most devastating events in history and had long-term effects on economic behavior. This paper seeks to provide a novel explanation for heterogeneous food waste behaviors across age cohorts from the perspective of differing famine experiences. Based on 2004–2009 China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) data, this paper constructs a difference-in-difference estimator to explore the long-term effects of the early-life famine experience of the household head on household food waste behavior in later life. The results indicate that the more serious famine that the household head experienced in early life was, the less wasted food and lost calories per capita there were, especially for adolescence during the famine. The mechanism analysis shows that households whose heads experienced the 1959–1961 Great Famine in early life tend to save more than those whose head did not. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the formation of preference and the variation in household food waste behaviors across age cohorts. •Differences in food waste behavior may arise from heterogeneous life experiences.•Great Famine is used to explore the food waste behavior across age cohorts.•A theoretical utility model incorporates the concept of food’s psychological price.•The more serious famine an individual experienced in early life, the less food waste.•A mechanism analysis shows the famine experience influences the saving behavior.