Maximum nutrition, minimum waste: evaluation of an on-campus ‘root-to-tip’ dining intervention in a UK higher education institution

Le résumé fourni par la source

The aim of this pilot study was to explore perceptions and factors influencing the acceptance of ‘root-to-tip’ dining, whereby fruit and vegetable components typically discarded during food preparation are incorporated into meals to reduce edible food waste generation and potentially increase dietary fibre intake. A 9-week pilot study to evaluate a signposted ‘root-to-tip’ menu was launched in foodservice outlets in a UK higher education institution. Anonymous online consumer survey and electronic point-of-sale data were collected from staff and students purchasing meals at participating university foodservice outlets. Over the 9-week study period, ‘root-to-tip’ dishes represented 36.6% of total daily hot menu sales. ‘Root-to-tip’ preparation resulted in an average waste saving and fibre increase per serving of 6.5% and 5.1% respectively. Self-reported plate waste was higher for ‘root-to-tip’ dishes (4.5% vs 2.7%, p=0.007), driven by lower rates of plate clearance (p=0.006). Overall, 62.4% of survey respondents purchasing a daily hot food menu item selected ‘root-to-tip’ dishes (n=270). Taste and health were the most important purchase drivers. Dish satisfaction varied significantly for health (p=0.02), with ‘root-to-tip’ dishes rated more highly, but not sensory factors. Meal selection was influenced by rated importance of health (p=0.003) and familiarity (p<0.001), rated more and less important by ‘root-to-tip’ respondents respectively, but not sustainability. Despite labelling, consumer awareness of the ‘root-to-tip’ campaign was limited (28.6%). This study’s findings support ‘root-to-tip’ dining as a viable strategy to prevent food waste generation and address low dietary fibre intakes and provides foundational data for further rigorous testing in foodservice and other settings.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.