Food sustainability - Quantification and analysis of food waste in school meals

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Baltazar A, Moreira P and Avila H

Coimbra Health School, Portugal
Uniself SA, Porto, Portugal

: J Food Nutr Disor

Abstract

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Introduction: food waste entails ethical, economic, environmental and nutritional implications, especially at school level. A collective feeding unit should ensure the provision of safe and nutritionally adequate meals and the benefits of ingestion cannot always be guaranteed if the inherent waste proves to be high. Objective: to evaluate the food waste resulting from lunch in a collective catering unit in the school sector. Material and Methods: a cross-sectional, cross-sectional observational study with a focus on the analysis of food waste from school meals for 12 days of study. For the quantification of leftovers and rest, the physical method of weighing and visual estimation was considered. Results: a 35.12% wastage was found in the 2840 meals served (soup and dish), corresponding to a surplus index and the remainder, respectively, of 8.13% and 29.38%. The association between the conduit and the generated waste determined a rest index of 35, 80% for the fish, and 27, 54% for the meat, without statistical significance. The soup had an index of surplus and rest of 20.14% and 23.58%, respectively, and there was no significant association with the consistency presented. The association between the number of meals served and the conduit was not statistically vigorous to establish a relationship. Conclusions: it is imminent the need to implement a system that controls food waste, with the active participation of a nutritionist that ensures its effectiveness and develop awareness actions with the school community for the current problem. Reference: 1. National Commission to Combat Food Waste. (2017). National Strategy and Plan of Action to Combat Food Waste. Retrieved from: http://www.gpp.pt/images/ MaisGPP/Iniciativas/CNCDA/ENCDA.pdf. 2. Gomes, S., Ávila, H., Oliveira, B., & Franchini, B. (2016). Capitations of Foodstuffs for Meals in School: Fundamentals, Consensus and Reflections. Portuguese Association of Nutritionists, 1-90. 3. Dinis, D., Martins, M., & Rocha, A. (2013). Plate Waste as an Indicator of Portions Inadequacy at School Lunch. International Scholarly and Scientific Research & Innovation 7(7), 1-4. 4. Martins, M., Cunha, L., Rodrigues, S., & Rocha, A. (2014). Determination of plate waste in primary school lunches by weighing and visual estimation methods: A validation study. Elsevier, 34, 1362–1368.

Biography

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E-mail: ana.santos@estescoimbra.pt