scholarly journals From Old Habits to New Routines—A Case Study of Food Waste Generation and Reduction in Four Swedish Schools

Resources ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Christine Persson Osowski ◽  
Dariusz Osowski ◽  
Kristina Johansson ◽  
Niina Sundin ◽  
Christopher Malefors ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Waste ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Service Organizations ◽  
Plate Waste ◽  
Stressful Environment ◽  
The Common ◽  
High Degree ◽  
And Storage

Public food service organizations are large producers of food waste, which leads to greenhouse gas emissions and the waste of natural resources. The aim of the present article was to gain insight into reasons for food waste and possible solutions for lowering food waste in schools in Sweden. In order to do so, food waste quantification in school canteens in two Swedish municipalities and nine qualitative interviews with key actors were conducted. Both municipalities displayed a high degree of variation in food waste, but the common pattern was that serving waste constituted the largest fraction of food waste, followed by plate waste and storage waste, as well as a gradual decrease in food waste over time. Food waste was mainly a result of old, disadvantageous habits, such as overproduction due to forecasting difficulties, whereas new, better routines such as serving fewer options, better planning, and a less stressful environment are the key to lowering food waste. Because food waste varies from one case to the next, it becomes important to identify and measure the causes of food waste in each school in order to be able to establish tailor-made, conscious, and flexible food waste mitigation routines.

scholarly journals Estimation of the Scale of Food Waste in Hotel Food Services—A Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 421
Author(s):  
Marzena Tomaszewska ◽  
Beata Bilska ◽  
Agnieszka Tul-Krzyszczuk ◽  
Danuta Kołożyn-Krajewska
Keyword(s):  
Food Waste ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Food Services ◽  
Plate Waste ◽  
Diary Method ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Dining Room

The problem of food waste in food services, which is global and essentially affects the entire world, is a major challenge for the hospitality industry. At the same time, it should be noted that this problem has not been sufficiently studied, which makes it difficult to reduce it effectively. The study was carried out in four hotels in late 2019 and early 2020. In order to determine the scale of food waste, the diary method was used, which consists of systematically recording, for seven days, in forms prepared for workstations, the weight of all food products and unused food, including the stage of the technological process. In the hotels under study, most food was wasted in the serving department, i.e., in the buffet in the dining room or in the form of plate waste (on average 72.55% of wasted food). After taking into account the number of hotel guests served, it was found that in the investigated facilities, an average of 0.046 kg was wasted from each serving offered to guests in the form of plate waste, which constituted 5.8% of its weight. In sum, it should be stated that in order to reduce food waste, it is necessary to educate both food services staff and consumers. Employees should be trained in the proper handling of food. Consumer education, on the other hand, should be directed toward raising awareness of the negative impact of food waste, such as that on the natural environment. In addition, it should indicate what action everyone can take to limit this negative phenomenon, whether at home, in the workplace, or in a food service establishment.

Characteristics of Civically Engaged Nonprofit Arts Organizations

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirae Kim
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Service Organizations ◽  
Arts Organizations ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Tax Returns ◽  
The Common ◽  
Cultural Sector ◽  
Nonprofit Arts

Nonprofits face increasing pressure to compete in the market, while they must maintain their civic commitment. Focusing on the arts and cultural sector, this study conducts the first large-scale, comprehensive empirical measurement of nonprofits’ engagement in various roles. The article uses a previously validated 18-item role index to categorize nonprofits as primarily engaged in either civic or market functions, so that a subsequent regression analysis can identify the common characteristics of civically active nonprofit arts service organizations. The data come from (a) qualitative interviews with leaders of arts nonprofits, (b) a random national sample of more than 900 arts nonprofits, and (c) Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax returns of the sample nonprofits. The findings suggest that civically active arts nonprofits have diverse networks, recognize civic engagement as the industry norm, and are consciously aware of their nonprofit status. The results suggest how nonprofits can balance their equally important market- and civic-oriented functions.

scholarly journals Quantifying Avoidable Food Waste and Identifying Its Underlying Causes: A Case Study of a University Dormitory in Thailand

2021 ◽  
pp. 55-67
Author(s):  
Shimpei Iwasaki ◽  
Suphat Prasopsin ◽  
Thamarat Phutthai
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
Attitudes And Behaviors ◽  
Underlying Causes ◽  
Policies And Programs

To develop well-planned and effective policies and programs for reducing avoidable food waste, it is important to quantify the actual food waste level in particular settings and assess relationships among consumers’ awareness, attitudes, and behaviors. Recognizing these considerations, this paper measured avoidable food waste generated by university students living in dormitory buildings and identified its underlying causes in the case of Kanchanaburi campus, Mahidol University, Thailand. The study applied a food waste composition survey 18 times between January and May 2019 while administering questionnaires in October 2019 to the dormitory students. Based on these measures, the study identified 1,417 instances of avoidable food waste. Approximately half of the avoidable food waste had not even been eaten. Most of this waste was generated by female students. Some factors in terms of motivation, opportunity, and ability using a Motivation, Opportunity, Ability framework were found to have induced more food waste among female students. Due attention to the effect of avoidable food waste reduction includes educating dormitory students about food waste as well as more space and increased visibility of stored food in shared refrigerators. Targeting university students for reducing avoidable food waste in the setting of everyday life in dormitories is needed rather than simply focusing on the food service sector on campus.

scholarly journals Food plate waste: factors influencing insinuated intention in a university food service setting

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (7) ◽  
pp. 1536-1549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingyi Zhao ◽  
Louise Manning
Keyword(s):  
Food Waste ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Portion Size ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Plate Waste ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Setting ◽  
Plate Size ◽  
The University ◽  
Waste Food

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to consider the factors that influence food plate waste in a UK university food service setting and the insinuated intention to waste food among staff and students. Design/methodology/approach The study conducted empirical research using an online questionnaire (n=260) at the university. The data were analysed descriptively and inferentially by IBM SPSS Statistics version 22. Findings Multiple factors influence the level of food plate waste including gender, different categories of food, plate size, portion size and palatability. Two recommendations to reduce plate food waste in the university food service setting include providing a variation in plate size and pricing strategy by portion rather than a whole meal, and communicating with staff and students in the food service setting. Research limitations/implications The research contributes, along with previous studies, by focussing here on participants’ food waste intention in food service settings and evidencing the factors of influence. Originality/value The research contributes to understanding on participants’ food waste intention in food service settings.

scholarly journals Understanding the Effect of Dining and Motivational Factors on Out-Of-Home Consumer Food Waste

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6507
Author(s):  
Francesca Goodman-Smith ◽  
Romain Mirosa ◽  
Miranda Mirosa
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Service Level ◽  
Motivational Factors ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
Plate Waste ◽  
Total Food ◽  
Motivating Factor ◽  
Saving Measure

Approximately 12% of total food waste is generated at the hospitality and food service level. Previous research has focused on kitchen and storeroom operations; however, 34% of food waste in the sector is uneaten food on consumers’ plates, known as “plate waste”. The effect of situational dining factors and motivational factors on plate waste was analysed in a survey of 1001 New Zealand consumers. A statistically significantly greater proportion (p < 0.05) of participants reported plate waste if the meal was more expensive, longer in duration or at dinnertime. Irrespective of age or gender, saving money was the most important motivating factor, followed by saving hungry people, saving the planet and, lastly, preventing guilt. Successful food waste reduction campaigns will frame reduction as a cost-saving measure. As awareness of the environmental and social costs of food waste builds, multifactorial campaigns appealing to economic, environmental and social motivators will be most effective.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Food Waste at a Portuguese Geriatric Institution

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2452
Author(s):  
Margarida Liz Martins ◽  
Ana Sofia Henriques ◽  
Ada Rocha
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Service System ◽  
Food Service ◽  
The Other ◽  
Plate Waste ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Waste Food

Care institutions attending to older adults are responsible for their food supply, which influences their health and quality of life. Food waste at care institutions has been reported to be a matter of great concern, that requires regular monitoring. In this study, we aim to quantify food waste in the food service of an elderly institution, both as leftovers and plate waste. Data collection was performed over 15 consecutive days, at lunch and dinner served to older adults. The aggregate weighing of food was performed before and after distribution, as well as after consumption. Leftovers and plate waste were calculated by the differences in weight. During the study period, 2987 meals were evaluated, corresponding to 1830 kg of food produced, of which only 67% was consumed. For each meal, approximately 610 g of food was produced per older adult, and only about 410 g were consumed, corresponding to 150 g of leftovers and 50 g of plate waste. Food waste represented 36.1% of meals served, composed of 24.1% leftovers and 12.0% plate waste. The wasted meals would be enough to feed 1486 older adults and would correspond to annual losses of approximately €107,112. Leftovers and plate waste were above the limits of acceptability (below 6% and 10%, respectively), indicating excessive food waste. High values of leftovers are related to the food service system and staff, pointing to the need for improvements during the planning and processing of meals. On the other hand, high plate waste values are associated with consumers, indicating the low adequacy of the menu regarding to older adults’ habits and preferences.

scholarly journals Leftover Consumption as a Means of Food Waste Reduction in Public Space? Qualitative Insights from Online Discussions

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 13564
Author(s):  
Larissa Diekmann ◽  
Claas Christian Germelmann
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Social Order ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
Service Organizations ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Individual Consumer ◽  
Other Consumers

A considerable amount of food is discarded in canteens every day. This waste has created a countermovement, where groups of mainly students purposefully choose to eat other consumers’ plate leftovers instead of buying fresh meals. This phenomenon highlights two opposing narratives: leftovers as food waste versus leftovers as edible food resources. Using a thematic analysis, we investigated 1579 comments from German news sites and their corresponding Facebook sites related to this countermovement. Thereby, we aim to better understand what consumers associate with the consumption of other consumers’ plate leftovers. Our study demonstrates that the consumption of plate leftovers is shaped by the regulatory, normative, and cultural-cognitive system. Furthermore, associations with the consumption of plate leftovers depend on whether this food decision is perceived as a collective or individual consumer decision. From a consumer movement perspective, food leftover consumption is associated with a sense of community and food waste reduction for idealistic or environmental and social reasons. From an individual consumer behavior perspective, food leftover consumption is associated with satisfying hunger but considered a threat to health and social order. Our findings can inspire food service organizations to develop targeted interventions for plate leftover reduction.

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