Status consciousness and knowledge as potential impediments of households' sustainable consumption practices of fresh produce amidst times of climate change

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 self‐completion 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.