IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i9p5486-d807816.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Investigating the Impacts of Behavioural-Change Interventions and COVID-19 on the Food-Waste-Generation Behaviours of Catered Students in the UK and India

Author

Listed:
  • Nicholas Davison

    (School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK)

  • William Young

    (School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK)

  • Andrew Ross

    (School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK)

  • Timothy Cockerill

    (School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK)

  • Shailendrasingh Rajput

    (Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai 400019, India)

Abstract

A food-waste initiative was conducted at two university canteens in the UK and India to examine food-waste attitudes and opportunities for food-waste reduction. Interventions were carried out to reduce food waste in both canteens. In the Indian canteen, postintervention data also included COVID-19-related changes, such as a change from self-service to table service, as well as reduced menu choices and an improved estimation of the number of students requiring meals. Surveys and focus groups were conducted with students to better understand their food-waste-related attitudes, while interviews were carried out with university staff to better understand food-waste management. The study in the UK university canteen found that introducing table cards, posters, and signs led to food-waste reductions of 13%. Meanwhile, the study in the Indian university canteen found that the interventions and COVID-19 impacts led to food-waste reductions of 50%. Concerning food-waste-related differences between the UK and India, culture and food preferences were key reasons for food waste in India, with 40.5% more participants in India stating that they wasted food because the ‘food didn’t taste good’. Students in India were more concerned about social issues and food poverty related to food waste, with around 9% more participants stating that the ‘food could be used by others’. Meanwhile, students in the UK were more bothered by the economic and environmental impacts of food waste, with around 31% more participants stating food waste is ‘a waste of money’, and is ‘bad for the environment’ when compared to India. Key opportunities for both countries included adopting food-sharing initiatives, informed menu choices, and meal planning, as well as student-led engagement projects.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicholas Davison & William Young & Andrew Ross & Timothy Cockerill & Shailendrasingh Rajput, 2022. "Investigating the Impacts of Behavioural-Change Interventions and COVID-19 on the Food-Waste-Generation Behaviours of Catered Students in the UK and India," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-23, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:9:p:5486-:d:807816
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/9/5486/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/9/5486/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Reynolds, Christian & Goucher, Liam & Quested, Tom & Bromley, Sarah & Gillick, Sam & Wells, Victoria K. & Evans, David & Koh, Lenny & Carlsson Kanyama, Annika & Katzeff, Cecilia & Svenfelt, Åsa & Jack, 2019. "Review: Consumption-stage food waste reduction interventions – What works and how to design better interventions," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 7-27.
    2. Heng, Yan & House, Lisa, 2022. "Consumers’ perceptions and behavior toward food waste across countries," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 25(2), March.
    3. Effie Papargyropoulou & Julia K. Steinberger & Nigel Wright & Rodrigo Lozano & Rory Padfield & Zaini Ujang, 2019. "Patterns and Causes of Food Waste in the Hospitality and Food Service Sector: Food Waste Prevention Insights from Malaysia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-21, October.
    4. Juliane Jörissen & Carmen Priefer & Klaus-Rainer Bräutigam, 2015. "Food Waste Generation at Household Level: Results of a Survey among Employees of Two European Research Centers in Italy and Germany," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-21, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Walter Leal Filho & Priscilla Cristina Cabral Ribeiro & Andréia Faraoni Freitas Setti & Fardous Mohammad Safiul Azam & Ismaila Rimi Abubakar & Julen Castillo-Apraiz & Unai Tamayo & Pinar Gokcin Özuyar, 2024. "Toward food waste reduction at universities," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(7), pages 16585-16606, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Eulalia Skawińska & Romuald I. Zalewski & Joanna Wyrwa, 2023. "Students’ Food Consumption Behavior during COVID-19 Lockdown," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-28, June.
    2. Lingfei Wang & Yuqin Yang & Guoyan Wang, 2022. "The Clean Your Plate Campaign: Resisting Table Food Waste in an Unstable World," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-17, April.
    3. Aleksander Buczacki & Bartłomiej Gładysz & Erika Palmer, 2021. "HoReCa Food Waste and Sustainable Development Goals—A Systemic View," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-16, May.
    4. Efrat Elimelech & Eyal Ert & Ofira Ayalon, 2019. "Exploring the Drivers behind Self-Reported and Measured Food Wastage," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-19, October.
    5. Marzena Tomaszewska & Beata Bilska & Danuta Kołożyn-Krajewska, 2022. "Behavior of Polish Consumers in Relation to Meals Ordered in Food Service Establishments in the Context of Plate Waste," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-17, July.
    6. Sybilla Merian & Sabrina Stöeckli & Klaus Ludwig Fuchs & Martin Natter, 2022. "Buy Three to Waste One? How Real-World Purchase Data Predict Groups of Food Wasters," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-21, August.
    7. Maria-Georgeta Moldovan & Dan-Cristian Dabija & Cristina Bianca Pocol, 2022. "Resources Management for a Resilient World: A Literature Review of Eastern European Countries with Focus on Household Behaviour and Trends Related to Food Waste," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-13, June.
    8. Valentina Gomes Haensel Schmitt & Mirza Marvel Cequea & Jessika Milagros Vásquez Neyra & Marcos Ferasso, 2021. "Consumption Behavior and Residential Food Waste during the COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak in Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-21, March.
    9. Qi, Danyi & Li, Ran & Penn, Jerrod & Houghtaling, Bailey & Prinyawiwatkul, Witoon & Roe, Brian E., 2021. "Does Nudging More Vegetable Consumption Result in More Waste? Evidence from a Randomized Dining Experiment," 2021 Annual Meeting, August 1-3, Austin, Texas 313980, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    10. Shahin Ghaziani & Delaram Ghodsi & Gholamreza Dehbozorgi & Shiva Faghih & Yeganeh Rajabpour Ranjbar & Reiner Doluschitz, 2021. "Comparing Lab-Measured and Surveyed Bread Waste Data: A Possible Hybrid Approach to Correct the Underestimation of Household Food Waste Self-Assessment Surveys," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-16, March.
    11. Chen Liu & Trung Thang Nguyen, 2020. "Evaluation of Household Food Waste Generation in Hanoi and Policy Implications towards SDGs Target 12.3," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-20, August.
    12. Cătălina Chinie & Isabelle Biclesanu & Francesco Bellini, 2021. "The Impact of Awareness Campaigns on Combating the Food Wasting Behavior of Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-17, October.
    13. Marzena Tomaszewska & Beata Bilska & Agnieszka Tul-Krzyszczuk & Danuta Kołożyn-Krajewska, 2021. "Estimation of the Scale of Food Waste in Hotel Food Services—A Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-16, January.
    14. Thyberg, Krista L. & Tonjes, David J., 2016. "Drivers of food waste and their implications for sustainable policy development," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 110-123.
    15. Qi, Danyi & Li, Ran & Penn, Jerrod & Houghtaling, Bailey & Prinyawiwatkul, Witoon & Roe, Brian E., 2022. "Nudging greater vegetable intake and less food waste: A field experiment," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    16. Mariarosaria Lombardi & Marco Costantino, 2021. "A Hierarchical Pyramid for Food Waste Based on a Social Innovation Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-16, April.
    17. Massimiliano Cerciello, 2021. "Spatial patterns in food waste at the local level. A preliminary analysis for Italian data," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(1), pages 83-101, February.
    18. Oriana Gava & Fabio Bartolini & Francesca Venturi & Gianluca Brunori & Alberto Pardossi, 2020. "Improving Policy Evidence Base for Agricultural Sustainability and Food Security: A Content Analysis of Life Cycle Assessment Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-29, February.
    19. Elżbieta Goryńska-Goldmann & Michał Gazdecki & Krystyna Rejman & Joanna Kobus-Cisowska & Sylwia Łaba & Robert Łaba, 2020. "How to Prevent Bread Losses in the Baking and Confectionery Industry?—Measurement, Causes, Management and Prevention," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-24, December.
    20. Maria Elena Latino & Marta Menegoli & Martina De Giovanni, 2021. "Evaluating the Sustainability Dimensions in the Food Supply Chain: Literature Review and Research Routes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-25, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:9:p:5486-:d:807816. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.