<![CDATA[Cia Peng An is a blessing food from the temple that is distributed to the community. However, at the Tridharma Awareness Temple in Cilaku Village, Tenjo Subdistrict, Bogor Regency, this food is reportedly discarded by some worshippers. This study aims to examine the phenomenon of food waste behavior related to Cia Peng An among temple worshippers. Employing a qualitative method with an interpretive paradigm, data were collected through field observations and in-depth interviews with fifteen informants selected using a snowball sampling technique. Interpretive analysis was conducted by examining the phenomenon through phenomenological, commodification, and reception theory perspectives. The findings reveal six interconnected factors contributing to food waste: excessive food portions without consideration of personal capacity as the dominant factor, incompatibility of taste or health conditions, limited awareness of food as a sacred blessing, technical factors arising from excessive food variety, children’s age-related factors due to insufficient supervision, and the weakening of Tridharma cultural values. The food waste process occurs when worshippers are unable to finish their portions, resulting in discarded food being disposed of through incineration, while some remaining food is processed as animal feed. This phenomenon generates a social stigma of redundancy, leads to the inefficient use of temple funds amounting to Rp800,000–Rp1,000,000 per activity, contributes to environmental impacts, and diminishes spiritual values, including the transmission of wasteful consumption behavior to children who imitate adult practices. This study concludes that normative guidance, the revitalization of harvest thanksgiving rituals, and the development of integrated food waste management facilities are needed to restore collective awareness regarding the sacredness and value of food.]]>
