Determinants of Household-Level Food Storage Practices and Outcomes on Food Safety and Security in Accra, Ghana

作者：Ebenezer Afriyie, Franz Gatzweiler, Monika Zurek, Freda Elikplim Asem, John K. Ahiakpa, Bernard Okpattah, Emmanuel Kojo Aidoo, Yong‐Guan Zhu · 发表于：Foods · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.3390/foods11203266 · 被引用次数：20 · 研究领域：Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability、Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations、Energy and Environment Impacts

Household-level food storage can help families save money, minimize food waste, and enhance food safety and security. Storing food within households may, however, be affected by domestic routines, like food shopping and cooking. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate how consumers' attitudes and behaviors influence food storage at the household level. This study aimed to assess the determinants of household-level food storage, ascertain consumers' behavior and perception towards food storage, and assess the effect of household-level food storage on food safety, wastage, food expenditure and security. Dzorwulu and Jamestown, both located in Accra, Ghana, served as the study's primary sites. The study employed a survey and structural equation modeling to evaluate key determinants of household-level food storage practices and their impacts. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 400 food household heads, sampled using a systematic sampling procedure. The results showed that food shopping drives food storage. There was, however, significant negative association (p < 0.001) between food shopping and time of food storage. Although cooking impedes household-level food storage, there was significant positive association (p < 0.001) between frequency of cooking and storage period of food commodities. The findings also revealed that household-level food storage promotes food safety, reduces food expenditure and waste, and contributes to enhancing food security by 43%. To p...