App-Assisted Meal Planning Solutions for Food Waste Reduction and Cost Savings among Filipino Families
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55927/jeda.v4i4.461Keywords:
Cost Savings, Filipino Families, Food Waste, Meal Planning, Mobile ApplicationsAbstract
This quantitative study examines the impact of app-assisted meal planning on food waste reduction and cost savings among Filipino families using secondary data from UNEP’s Food Waste Index and DOST-FIES (2023). Employing descriptive, economic, comparative, and projection analyses, the study estimates potential household benefits of adopting meal planning applications. Results reveal that Filipino households generate approximately 2.95 million tons of food waste annually, leading to substantial economic losses. The analysis suggests that mobile meal planning apps could reduce household food waste by 15–25%, translating to average annual savings of around Php 2,000 per family. The study recommends future research using primary data to validate these findings and determine the most effective implementation strategies for app-based food waste reduction.
References
Abeltino, A., Riente, A., Bianchetti, G., Serantoni, C., De Spirito, M., Capezzone, S., Esposito, R., & Maulucci, G. (2025). Digital applications for diet monitoring, planning, and precision nutrition for citizens and professionals: a state of the art. Nutrition Reviews, 83(2), e574–e601. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuae035
Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation. (2024). TOO GOOD TO WASTE™: Food Loss and Food Waste Reduction for a Sustainable Future. Retrieved from https://www.ajinomoto.com.ph/nutrition/too-good-to-waste-food-loss-and-food-waste-reduction-for-a-sustainable-future/
Alessio Abeltino, Alessia Riente, Giada Bianchetti, Cassandra Serantoni, Marco De Spirito, Stefano Capezzone, Rosita Esposito, Giuseppe Maulucci, Digital applications for diet monitoring, planning, and precision nutrition for citizens and professionals: a state of the art, Nutrition Reviews, Volume 83, Issue 2, February 2025, Pages e574–e601, https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuae035
Amiri, M., Li, J., & Hasan, W. (2023). Personalized Flexible Meal Planning for Individuals with Diet-Related Health Concerns: System Design and Feasibility Validation Study. JMIR Form Res, 7, e46434. https://formative.jmir.org/2023/1/e46434
Angchua, G., Dayrit, R., Gamulo, T., Lee, J. M., Margulies, H., & Yu, L. (2019). Filipinos Wasting Food; Filipinos Wasting Away: The Phenomenon of Food Waste and its Untapped Potential to Solve National Hunger. doi: 10.13140/RG.2.2.17273.21607/1
Barney, J. B., Ketchen, D. J., Jr., & Wright, M. (2021). Resource-based theory and the value creation framework. Journal of Management, 47(7), 1936-1955. https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063211021655
Barrion, A. S., Garcia, R. R., & Reaño, R. M. (2023). Food loss and waste in the Philippines: A baseline study on household and retail levels. Department of Science and Technology–Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD). https://pcieerd.dost.gov.ph/images/pdf/food-loss-waste-baseline.pdf
Barrion, A., Calayag, J., Nguyen-Orca, M. F., & Melo-Rijik, M. N. (2023). Food loss and waste in the Philippines: a literature review. Food Research, 7, 278-289. doi: 10.26656/fr.2017.7(6).127
Bosnjak M, Ajzen I, Schmidt P. The Theory of Planned Behavior: Selected Recent Advances and Applications. Eur J Psychol. 2020 Aug 31;16(3):352-356. doi: 10.5964/ejop. v16i3.3107. PMID: 33680187; PMCID: PMC7909498.Cane, M., & Parra, C. (2020). Digital platforms: mapping the territory of new technologies to fight food waste. British Food Journal, 122(5), 1647-1669. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-06-2019-0391
Castro, C., Chitikova, E., Magnani, G., Merkle, J., & Heitmayer, M. (2023). Less Is More: Preventing Household Food Waste through an Integrated Mobile Application. Sustainability, 15(13), 10597. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310597
Clark, Q. M., Kanavikar, D. B., Clark, J., & Donnelly, P. J. (2025). Exploring the potential of AI-driven food waste management strategies used in the hospitality industry for application in household settings. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, 7, 1429477. https://doi.org/10.3389/frai.2024.1429477
Clarke P, Evans SH, Neffa-Creech D. Mobile app increases vegetable-based preparations by low-income household cooks: a randomized controlled trial. Public Health Nutr. 2019 Mar;22(4):714-725. doi: 10.1017/S1368980018003117. Epub 2018 Nov 26. PMID: 30472970; PMCID: PMC6521788.
Climate Change Commission. (2024). Less waste, less warming: How communities can curb food loss and waste for the climate. Retrieved from https://climate.gov.ph/news/937
CNN Underscored. (2025). The best meal-planning apps in 2025, tested by our editors. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-meal-planning-apps
Cosmopolitan. (2023). The 6 Meal-Planning Apps That'll Take All the Brainwork Outta Making Dinner. Retrieved from https://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/g44052513/best-meal-planning-apps/
Department of Science and Technology. (2023). Rice, vegetables, and meat, the top 3 most wasted foods among Filipino households. Retrieved from https://stii.dost.gov.ph/1658-rice-vegetables-and-meat-the-top-3-most-wasted-foods-among-filipino-households
Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute. (2022). Does plate waste matter? A two-stage cluster survey to assess the household plate waste in the Philippines. BMC Public Health. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-022-14894-z
Department of Science and Technology–Food and Nutrition Research Institute. (2023). Plate waste survey of Filipino households. DOST-FNRI. https://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph/images/sources/PLATE_WASTE_REPORT_2023.pdf
Future Market Insights. (2025). Food waste management market size & trends 2025-2035. https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/food-waste-management-market
Garvin, T. M., Chiappone, A., Boyd, L., et al. (2019). Cooking Matters Mobile Application: a meal planning and preparation tool for low-income parents. Public Health Nutrition, 22(12), 2220-2227. DOI: 10.1017/S1368980019001101
Hanson, V., & Ahmadi, L. (2022). Mobile applications to reduce food waste within Canada: A review. The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe canadien, 66, 402-411. https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12733
Hong, J., Jaegler, A., & Gergaud, O. (2024). Mobile applications to reduce food waste in supply chains: a systematic literature review. British Food Journal, 126(2), 509-530. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-09-2022-0742
Kempler J, Love P, Bolton K, Rozman M, Spence A. Exploring the Use of a Web-Based Menu Planning Tool in Childcare Services: Qualitative Cross-sectional Survey Study.JMIR Form Res 2022;6(7): e35553.URL: https://formative.jmir.org/2022/7/e35553.DOI: 10.2196/35553
Liorančas, Viktoras & Lee, Chi-Ching. (2024). Sustainability in the Digital Age: Mobile Apps' Role in Food Waste Management. DARNIOS APLINKOS VYSTYMAS. 21. 155-160. 10.52320/dav. v21i1.329.
Mathisen TF, Johansen FR. The Impact of Smartphone Apps Designed to Reduce Food Waste on Improving Healthy Eating, Financial Expenses and Personal Food Waste: Crossover Pilot Intervention Trial Studying Students' User Experiences. JMIR Form Res. 2022 Sep 2;6(9): e38520. PMID: 36053667 PMCID: PMC9482070.DOI: 10.2196/38520
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Leolaine M. Evangelista

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

























