Abstract:
Climate change is an issue recognized not only by developed countries but also emerging
economies such as South Africa (SA).With the number one trend for 2014, ‘limiting food
waste’ is proclaimed key in curbing climate change. In SA, 31% of food, mostly fresh
produce, is wasted annually notwithstanding that more sustainable consumption of this
commodity could address local food security and combat the global challenge of climate
change. The purpose of this study was to produce evidence that an improvement of SA
consumers’ level of knowledge of climate change and subsequent consumption practices in
this basic product category has great potential to mitigate climate change. A selfcompletion
survey was used to collect data from 560 Tshwane households (a major urban
area in SA). Among other issues relating to climate change and irresponsible consumer
behaviour, the survey also addressed the pertinent influence of consumer knowledge (tacit
and explicit) and personal values such as status consciousness during respondents’ fresh
produce consumption. Findings confirmed the influence of status consciousness when
purchasing fresh produce among young consumers. This is alarming if one considers this
groups’ role in future endeavours. In terms of consumers’ knowledge, evidence suggests
that much can still be done to educate all consumers not only about climate change per se
but also about possible avenues that could be utilized to amend unsustainable consumption.
Although findings conclusively confirmed that consumers fail to comprehend the implication
of their unrealistic demands on retail, it was also evident that the mitigation of
unsustainable behaviour could benefit from more support from retail and government.
