Food consumption and wastage patterns in a student canteen - data from Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Background - Food wastage has become one of the most concerning global issues. While one-third of the food produced for human consumption is wasted, one-ninth of the world population does not have enough to eat. Hence, the reduction of food wastage and proper waste management is of paramount importance for global sustainability. Objectives - To determine the amount of food consumed and wasted at the faculty canteen during lunchtime; to determine the students’ perceptions of food wastage and make recommendations to avoid food wastage. Method – – A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out from November 2019 to December 2019. Plate waste of the students who consumed lunch at the main canteen of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya was measured for six days to determine the percentage of food waste. A questionnaire was given to 200 students to obtain information regarding their reasons for food wastage and the knowledge of food waste management methods at the Faculty of Medicine. Results - Out of 420.48kg of food served during lunchtime of the six days observed, 110.87kg (26.4 %) was wasted. The mean food wastage per student was 139.5g. Among the reasons for food wastage, “poor smell/taste” and “lack of variation of the food” were the main reasons. The majority stated that they would waste less food if the presentation of the food were better. If the results were extrapolated to all state universities, the total waste is 15.96 tons at the cost of 1.368 million rupees per day. Conclusion - - Simple interventions such as making students aware of its economic impact and changing food serving methods may minimize waste.