Table 1 presents the demographic characteristics of the 150 households included in the analysis. The number of household members was approximately equal; 50% reported 3–6 members and 49.3% had 7–13 members. The remaining household (0.67%) reported less than 3 members. Using mid-point values, the mean household size is estimated to be 7.2 members per household, resulting in an estimated average of 1,079 participants across 150 households.

The majority (N = 87, 58%) of participants have a bachelor's degree, followed by 28% with a post-graduate degree, 25% with a high school diploma, 9% with a middle school education. 40% of participants generate a household income between 1,000 and 2,000 KWD, and 40.6% spend between 50 and 100 KWD on food weekly. Most households employed one (25.3%) or two (31.3%) household aid workers, with approximately 30% employing 3 or more. 64% of households reported eating out once or twice per week, and a minority (6.6%) reported rarely or never eating out. 34% of households dispose of 1 medium garbage bag daily, followed by 31.3% estimating 1 small garbage bag daily.

Food waste trends were similar in Week 1 and Week 2 (Table 2). Households reporting no waste increased from (14.4% to 16.9%, a 17.9% change). The total weight of food waste slightly decreased from an average of 1.79 kg/HH/day in Week 1 to 1.69 kg/HH/day in Week 2. Excess food (57.6% to 60%) accounted for most of the food waste, followed by expired food (13.3% to 14.7%).

Table 3 presents the weight and type of food waste by day-of-week. Peak waste days were Friday followed by Monday, the lowest total waste was observed on Wednesday and Saturday. Friday recorded the highest total waste (1.97 kg) accounting for 16.2% of total waste per week. Mondays were the second highest waste days (1.88 kg) with the least (11.7%) proportion of households generating no waste. No waste peaked on Saturday (18.7%), corresponding to the second lowest total waste weight (1.61 kg or 13.1% of weekly total). Thursday followed closely with (18%) reporting no waste, however, total waste on this day (1.71 kg) did not rank among the lowest. The lowest waste day was recorded on Wednesday (1.59 kg) accounting for 13.1% of weekly total waste generated. Excess food consistently accounted for most food waste ranging from (62.7 to 55.3%) of total waste. Expired and unspecified food waste were smaller contributors to total waste with ranges of 9.7–24% and 11.7–18.7% respectively.

Tables 4–6 present results from the questionnaire distributed after the 2-week food waste monitoring period. The most common causes of food waste reported by households were expired food (73.3%) and excess food (62.7%). Most households estimated disposing less than 10% of food purchases (44%), followed by 22.7% estimating discarding 10–20% of food purchases. Fruits and vegetables were the most frequently discarded food items followed by bread or baked goods (19.3%) (Table 4).

Table 5 describes the food planning, preparation, and preservation strategies implemented to reduce food waste. 61% of participants reported that they sometimes plan meals before food purchases, while 18% reported that they never plan meals before grocery shopping to limit food waste. Furthermore, 68% reported always preparing a grocery list while 11% reported they never prepare a list before food shopping. 72% of households reported they sometimes take portion size into consideration during meal preparation while 42% report being always mindful of portion size. Regarding preservation techniques, the majority of households (99%) freeze perishable foods while only 1% of households vacuum-seal perishable items. 87% of participants report always following best before and expiration dates before deciding to discard or use packaged food items.

Table 6 presents disposal practices and attitudes after the 2-week monitoring period. Excess food was most often either donated to food banks (46%) or discarded in garbage (46%), with a smaller percentage of households reporting feeding animals' leftovers (39.3%). Expired food was most often disposed of (39.3%) in garbage, with fewer households reporting feeding it to animals (4.7%), and (22.7%) that use judgment to decide if expired food is edible. Furthermore, 29.3% of households report that they always donate food, followed by 40% reporting they sometimes do, and 20.7% indicating they never do. Interestingly, nearly all households (98%) indicated that the 2-week monitoring period helped them reassess their food waste behaviors.

It was hypothesized that monitoring food waste daily would increase awareness and lead to a progressive decline of waste during the monitoring period. The study findings are consistent with our hypothesis, a small decline in household food waste from Week 1 to Week 2 (Table 2), which may be consistent with short-term behavioral reactivity during monitoring. Additionally, the increase in households reporting no food waste in Week 2 may further support the possibility of short-term behavior change during monitoring (Table 2). In both weeks, excess food accounted for most of the waste disposed, suggesting that cooking and purchasing more food than needed were likely the main contributors of household food waste even as total waste declined (Table 2). These findings indicate that food waste reduction efforts should focus on skills such as, portion sizes and meal planning to prevent edible food from ending up in landfills.

In both weeks, food waste was highest on Fridays (295 kg, 16.2% of weekly total) (Table 3). This pattern may be related to routine weekly schedules and social practices in Kuwait, as weekends tend to include more social activities. Food waste prevention strategies can tailor messaging to specifically highlight how weekends and possible social gatherings may lead to excessive amounts of food waste, while also increasing food donation services during these times to distribute leftovers to those in need. Across all days, excess food accounted for most discarded food, while expired and unspecified food waste contributing to smaller portions of waste, further emphasizing that reduction efforts should focus on preventing over-preparation.

The questionnaire distributed after the 15-day monitoring period contextualized the direct measurements collected and allowed participants to reflect on their experience. Interestingly, majority of households reported expired food as the main source of their food waste, while excess food accounted for most of the disposed food during the monitoring period (Tables 2, 4). This observed discrepancy suggests a gap between perceived and actual waste, or that participants were less likely to indicate that excess food was the cause of their food waste.

Participants also indicated fruits and vegetables most frequently discarding, highlighting an opportunity for prevention strategies to focus on produce storage and use. Portion control techniques were inconsistent with 72% reporting they sometimes keep portion control in mind when cooking food, which is consistent with excess food contributing to most of the food waste (Table 5). Food disposal practices revealed that nearly half of households regularly donate excess food to local food banks or community fridges, suggesting that improving food donation services may further reduce national food waste (Table 6). Lastly, the high level of reported awareness after the monitoring period suggests that short-term food waste diaries may increase self-awareness and be a useful tool in food waste prevention and reduction strategies, although longer term studies are needed to observe whether these changes remain long after the monitoring period.

Comparing findings from this study to similar international household food waste studies revealed that Kuwaiti households generate greater food waste. A study conducted in Ontario, Canada on 100 households during the COVID-19 pandemic found that households discard on average 2.81 kg of food per week, whereas results from this study demonstrate that each Kuwaiti household discarded on average 12.1 kg of waste per week (Table 2) (Everitt et al., 2022). The mentioned study measured food waste though direct weighing of garbage bags over a week period a technique similar to the methodology of this study. However, only single-family homes were included in Canadian study, while in Kuwait, multi-generational households are common, contributing to the higher amounts of food waste observed. Additionally, this study was conducted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when quarantines and lockdowns may have influenced food waste related behaviors during this unprecedented time.

Similar studies examined how awareness and measurement techniques influence household food waste behaviors and reporting. In a field experiment on 359 Swiss households, researchers assessed accuracy of food waste measurements by comparing three common methods: a self-reported survey, waste diary, and direct waste collection over a 1–2-week period (Merian et al., 2024). In addition to the different methods used to quantify waste, each group was further divided into participants that were aware of the purpose of the study and those unaware food waste was the focus of the experiment. Their results demonstrate that participants in the unaware direct measurement group generated higher food waste, averaging 0.8 kg per household member per week, while those aware generated lower amounts of food waste, averaging 0.69 kg per household member per week. Findings from this study suggest that when participants are aware, they may modify their behavior and generate less food waste.

In the present sample households had an average of 7.2 members per household, generating on average 1.68 kg of food waste per household member per week (Table 2). Even when using similar waste measurement methods, food waste generation was substantially higher in Kuwaiti households compared to Western and European households. Our findings are also exceed estimated from the EPA, which indicate that each resident generates 1.6 kg of municipal solid waste per day (Environmental Protection Authority, 2022). Overall, these comparisons highlight the substantially higher amounts of food waste generated in Kuwait, although, household size, cultural practices, and measurement methods may explain the striking differences observed.

To our knowledge this study is the first attempt to quantify and examine household food waste in Kuwait. A major strength of this study is in the design itself; households did not only measure food waste, but qualitative data was collected to identify behaviors and practices causing food waste generation. Additionally, a large sample of households (N = 150) were analyzed representing approximately 1,079 participants, which enhances the generalizability of these findings in the context of Kuwaiti society and in the broader Arab gulf-state region. Furthermore, the relatively long monitoring period allowed for both day-of-week and week-to-week analyses. By identifying fluctuations in waste generation, these results can guide and inform public initiatives aimed at reducing household food waste and, in turn, create more sustainable food systems in the country. Additionally, the inclusion of self-reported data on food preparation, purchasing, and preservation strategies further contextualizes the results collected during the food waste monitoring period.

This study, however, is not without limitations. The reliance on self-reported data and short monitoring period limits the accuracy and generalizability of the findings. Although participants were thoroughly instructed on how to measure food waste, including what items to include and size of garbage bag to use, this does not guarantee that participants consistently or accurately followed the methods provided prior to the experiment. A key limitation is due to the measurement bias from the weight recording method. By choosing the nearest weight category rather than recording the exact weights, and later converting categories to kilograms, this may introduce measurement errors and may bias total waste estimates either by over-estimating or under-estimating. In addition, participants may underreport or have different classifications of food waste. Due to these limitations, estimates of waste quantities should be interpreted with caution. However, the day-of-week patterns may be less likely affected by this limitation since the weight recording method remained consistent during the monitoring period.

Variability in bag size, food items included, and weighing procedures further limit the accuracy of the data collected. Additionally, the duration of the experiment may not be sufficient to measure variations and fluctuations in household food waste over time. Therefore, the modest decline in food waste observed should be interpreted as a short-term effect during the monitoring period, rather than a behavior change that lasts beyond this period. Most households in this sample were larger highly educated families, earning middle-high incomes, with more domestic staff that may have different food management practices, reducing the generalizability of these findings to the broader Kuwaiti population.

On average, each household discarded 1.78 kg of waste per day, most of which was edible food. This relatively high volume of waste highlights the critical need for targeted interventions aimed at reducing household food waste in Kuwait. Public campaigns should focus on promoting portion control, conservative food purchasing, and moderation in meal preparation. Since waste peaked on Fridays, campaigns may be more effective if messaging includes preventing food waste on the weekends when family gatherings and social events are more likely to take place.

Beyond public campaigns, although household donation practices in this sample were high, the existing community fridges located in most residential areas across Kuwait have several operational challenges, specifically, maintenance issues, hygiene, and the quality of donated food. Community-wide efforts or Co-operative society management is needed to help maintain these fridges, ensuring food safety, and reduce disposal of edible food. Additionally, establishing food composting programs within neighborhoods would also help alleviate the household food waste burden, especially since households determined most of food waste as edible. Furthermore, public initiatives need to emphasize the environmental, economic, and food security implications of unsustainable food waste behaviors. Given that Kuwait heavily relies on foreign food imports and in a particularly contentious geopolitical climate, food waste is not only a sustainability burden but a national food security risk as well.

Future research efforts should be directed on quantifying food waste over longer periods of time, including months such as Ramadan, when large meals and communal gatherings are frequent. More research in Kuwait with a broader sample is needed determine if the same day-of-week patterns persist over longer monitoring periods. In addition to households, waste generated by food service establishments should also be investigated to quantify their burden on the national food system. Lastly, innovations in food science, specifically through the development of smart-packaging technologies, are needed to prolong the shelf life of fresh produce and minimize avoidable food waste. The implementation of both technological solutions and culturally tailored public awareness campaigns will be essential for long-term food security and progressing toward halving food waste by 2030 in Kuwait.