Food Waste Prevention and Management in Higher Education

Abstract

Over recent years, the problem of food waste has been faced all around the world. Various reasons contribute to this, most of which are highly avoidable in nature. Ideally, it is the responsibility of every individual/institution to make every effort possible towards preventing food waste, but this study focussed only on the role of higher educational institutions. The overall aim of this project was to assess the practicalities of developing and implementing a food and packaging waste prevention programme in a university setting using the University of Salford, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Manchester, Newcastle University and Small World Cafe (Oxford Road, Manchester) foodservices as case studies. The research involved carrying out face-to-face semi-structured interviews with the cooks, chefs, cafeteria managers and estate managers from all the participating institutions to collect qualitative data on the factors associated with food waste and the current food waste management practices at their facilities. The responses were thoroughly analysed to highlight the good practises and areas for improvement with regards to their food waste prevention and management practises. These findings included best practices and ideas for preventing pre- and post-consumer food waste along with suitable options for managing food waste in a university setting. These findings were then used to recommend a food waste prevention and management program.