School of Public Leadership

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Browsing School of Public Leadership by Author "Alooh, Allan Ochieng'"

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    Quantifying food plate waste : case study of a university dining facility
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-03) Alooh, Allan Ochieng'; Opara, Umezuruike Linus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY : The quest to tackle food insecurity has never been bigger. However, attaining food security is endangered by the megatrends of a burgeoning population, rapid urbanisation and rising affluence. Projections indicate that the global human population will increase to 9.6 billion in 2050. This necessitates increased food production by 70 percent. Equally, increased human dependency on agriculture means that the global agricultural system must operate in a way that promotes social and economic development. Yet, the current agricultural footprint is threatening environmental sustainability and necessitates reduction. Furthermore, recent investments to enhance food production have only made a modest impact on global food security. In this regard, prudent use of already produced food through minimising food wastage is a practical way of improving food security while limiting the threatening socio-economic and ecological consequences of food waste. Food Plate Waste (FPW) generated from dining facilities contributes extensively to consumer food waste and is recognised as the highest component of overall food losses and waste. The lack of fairly accurate data on the quantity and composition of FPW has contributed to inefficient waste minimisation measures. The current study assessed the magnitude, financial cost, causes and level of awareness of FPW in a dining facility at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. During two separate studies, plate waste weight for student diners was measured. A questionnaire was used to establish causes of FPW, students’ satisfaction with meals and menus and awareness of FPW as a problem. Results on quantity and cost of FPW were presented in two levels: only those students with plate waste and the entire dining facility. Forty-one percent of the total student diners left FPW which amounted to 19.66 kg per day. Mean plate waste among students who left plate waste was 40.42 ± 2.05 percent (mean (±standard deviation) per day whereas the overall plate waste for entire dining facility was 6.35 ± 1.25 percent per day. Average plate waste per student stood at 0.105 and 0.04 kg per day among students with plate waste and the entire dining facility, respectively. The cost of FPW during the studies averaged R480.78 and R117 310.32 per day and annum, respectively. The average cost amounted to R2.56 and R1.07 per day for students who left plate waste and the entire dining facility, respectively. Poor food taste was reported as the single largest cause of FPW followed by poor appearance and inappropriate temperature. Eighty-nine percent of students expressed their awareness of FPW as a problem while more than 75 percent believed that FPW is a problem in the halls of residence. Sixty percent of respondents left FPW while 39 percent of the respondents booked meals but never showed up to dine. These results indicate that while the magnitude of plate waste for the entire dining facility may be low, the high level of plate waste among students who had plate waste is undesirable. While students may be aware of the negative consequences of FPW, providing regular information to remind them to act in ways that mirror their awareness is key to curbing FPW. These results provide initial and valuable insights into FPW dynamics and hence offer a starting point for discussion on designing and implementing FPW reduction measures within University dining facilities.