Survey overview

The survey instrument was designed to collect information from individuals on relevant attitudinal and behavioral propensities based on the literature and to elicit food waste tendencies. The survey was administered in an interactive setting for a period of 5 days at the 2016 Minnesota State Fair, which was attended by nearly two million people during its twelve-day event. Volunteers recruited subjects for a total of about 30 minutes of their time, compensating them with a drawstring backpack with the University of Minnesota logo, a popular give-away item for human subject research projects conducted at the State Fair. Recruitment did not mention food waste to minimize self-selection bias in the study. The surveys were completed on electronic tablets. Our project staff worked closely with each respondent, explained the tasks at hand, and answered any clarifying questions. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of Minnesota.