Identifying institutional capacity to reduce and reallocate food waste is important to reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and food insecurity. The goal of this study was to examine food waste ...concern, reduction and repurposing strategies, and perceived barriers to these strategies among U.S. university foodservice representatives. We surveyed 57 U.S. university foodservice representatives about foodservice operations, campus food insecurity, food waste reduction and repurposing activities, and obstacles to composting and donating food waste. Data were collected September 2019-February 2020. Roughly three-quarters of respondents tracked campus food waste, reported that food waste reduction was a high/very high priority, and reported concern about campus food insecurity. The most common food-waste-reduction strategies included forecasting demand to prevent overproduction and preparing smaller batches. The most common repurposing strategies included donation and composting. Top barriers to food donation included liability concerns and lack of labor. Barriers to composting food included lack of infrastructure and knowledge/experience. Addressing perceived barriers to university foodservices' food waste reduction and repurposing efforts could lead to reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved food security for millions of Americans.
Dietary patterns affect both human health and environmental sustainability. Prior research found a ten-unit course on food systems and environmental sustainability shifted dietary intake and reduced ...dietary carbon footprint among college students. This research evaluated the impact of a similar, more scalable one-unit
taught at multiple universities.
We used a quasi-experimental pre-post nonequivalent comparison group design (
= 176). As part of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, research was conducted at three university campuses in California over four academic terms. All campuses used the same curriculum, which incorporates academic readings, group discussions, and skills-based exercises to evaluate the environmental footprint of different foods. The comparison group comprised students taking unrelated one-unit courses at the same universities. A questionnaire was administered at the beginning and end of each term.
Students who took the
significantly improved their reported vegetable intake by 4.7 weekly servings relative to the comparison group. They also reported significantly decreasing intake of ruminant meat and sugar-sweetened beverages. As a result of dietary shifts,
students were estimated to have significantly decreased their dietary carbon footprint by 14%.
A scalable, one-unit
may simultaneously promote environmental sustainability and human health.
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