Abstract. The article is devoted to the study of current problems in the food sector and food waste management in Ukraine at the level of individual consumers; establishing the degree of involvement of Ukrainians in world trends of responsible consumption. Based on the analysis of literary sources, it is shown that the nature of food consumption is one of the main factors influencing the state of the natural environment, which is manifested in an unreasonably high level of resource use and is one of the causes of the formation of greenhouse gases. It has been proven that Ukrainian consumers are only at the initial stage of the movement towards responsible consumption in the food sector, which is due to a number of both subjective and objective reasons. It was established that a large part of consumers is not familiar with the principles of responsible consumption and handling of food waste, does not have information about the real volumes of their formation and does not suspect the possible consequences of irresponsible handling of them. It was determined that one of the most effective ways to reduce the amount of food waste is the formation of a culture of food consumption, increasing the level of awareness and consciousness by consumers of the consequences of their eating behaviour and the impact of food waste on the environment. It was revealed that a significant problem on the way to responsible consumption in the food sector is the lack of the necessary infrastructure. It is shown that the low effectiveness of initiatives initiated by the state, business, and public organizations is explained mainly by the imperfection of communication systems with the target audience: many consumers simply do not have information about the relevant initiatives and, accordingly, do not have the opportunity to use them.