The effects of food image and food neophilianeophobia levels on food waste behavior: A study on tourists visiting Istanbul

Food waste is a globally significant issue that requires the involvement of all stakeholders to mitigate. Food image, along with food neophobia and food neophilia tendencies, are among the key factors influencing food waste. Understanding consumer behavior in the tourism sector, where food and beverage activities are highly prevalent, is crucial for reducing food waste in the industry. This study examines the effects of participants' perceived food images, food neophobia, and food neophilia tendencies on food waste. Within this scope, a convenience sampling method was employed, and data were collected via face-to-face and online surveys from 416 domestic and international tourists visiting Istanbul who met the inclusion criteria. Incomplete responses and outliers were excluded from the analysis. The normality distribution and reliability of the data were assessed, confirming their suitability for analysis. Subsequently, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate goodness-of-fit indices, and the hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results supported all three hypotheses of the study. In other words, the independent variables food image, food neophobia, and food neophilia explained the variance in the dependent variable, food waste, to varying degrees. The study concludes with recommendations for individuals, businesses, and researchers. Keywords: Food Waste, Food Neophobia, Food Neophilia, Food Image