Single Banana Experiment Shows How to Reduce Waste

Researchers show how sad signs featuring single bananas can inspire customers to rescue overlooked produce and promote sustainability.

Point-of-sale anthropomorphism experiment

Food waste is a massive global problem. Each year, approximately 2.5 billion tonnes of food are discarded worldwide. The United States alone contributes over 60 million tons to this staggering figure.

Researchers from the University of Bath recently focused on one specific instance of food waste: single bananas left behind in grocery stores. Bananas are typically sold in bunches, but some customers who only want part of a bunch and often leave single bananas behind. By the end of the day, these solitary bananas accumulate, usually ending up in the trash or, if we’re lucky, the compost.

To investigate this issue, researchers conducted what they called the “single banana experiment” in a grocery store. They placed signs next to the single bananas, using different emotional cues to influence customer behaviour. One sign featured a sad banana, another displayed a happy banana, and a third contained only text encouraging customers to buy the lone fruit.

The results were striking. The “sad” banana signage was the most effective, evoking feelings of compassion among shoppers. Customers were more likely to “rescue” single bananas when the sad signs were displayed. A similar experiment with tomatoes yielded comparable results. It's what the researchers call point-of-sale anthropomorphism - attributing human characteristics to non-human entities.

The University of Bath’s single banana experiment suggests that adding simple, emotionally engaging signage could be an easy and low-cost way for retailers to encourage shoppers to pick up overlooked items. By creating a stronger connection between consumers and their food, stores can help reduce waste while promoting sustainable habits. As one UK supermarket store says: "Every little helps."

Meanwhile, Tesco, - the largest supermarket chain in the UK - is to begin a trial giving expiring food to customers for free at the end of the day as it tries to cut food waste. The supermarket will give away some already discounted "yellow sticker" items after 21:30 in some of its smaller Express stores in coming months. Tesco already donates expiring food to charities and food banks. It says it is taking this step to try to meet its goal to halve food waste. The company said the expiring food would be offered to charities and shop workers first, before customers could take it.

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