Understanding Food Waste Drivers and Food Preferences Among 1st Year Student Residences to Reduce All Access Dining Waste and GHG Emissions
Creators: name: Azzam, Ayman
name: Khodavandi, Alireza
name: Tsang, Noah
name: Rasti, Leila
name: Wang, Junyi
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2024

description: Food waste is an ongoing global issue that results in irreversible consequences, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that disrupt climates across the globe. As a recognized global leader in sustainability, the University of British Columbia (UBC) has the opportunity to set a standard for universities across the world through its exemplary practices (UBC Sustainability, 2021). Considering this, the university has recognized the significant contribution of food systems, generating over 21% of total campus GHG emissions (UBC Sustainability, 2022b). Specifically, emphasis has been placed on addressing food waste generated by the campus food system as an important contributor of GHG emissions (UBC Sustainability, 2016). By understanding the drivers of food waste, UBC can inform their plans, policies and practices that are working toward achieving its intended 50% GHG emissions reduction of food systems by 2030 (UBC Sustainability, 2022b). These learnings can also contribute to the global targets set by the IPCC and the Paris Agreement, both identifying the reduction of food waste as an integral step in reaching net zero emissions on campus (UBC Sustainability, 2021). By establishing a fundamental understanding of first-year residents' food preferences, the University of British Columbia Food Services (UBCFS) can revise their menu selections to align more closely with climate-friendly practices, while ensuring student consumption preferences are met. Additionally, a change to a more sustainable menu can potentially inspire students to adopt more climate-friendly dietary habits. Moreover, exploring potential factors influencing students' food plate waste, including portion sizes, flavors, convenience, or location, can provide valuable insights for implementing practical innovations. This can benefit not only the overall student dining experience but also support the campus in achieving its targets. Our methodology includes a mixed-methods approach, utilizing both quantitative data from our online surveys, and qualitative data from our in-person booths. The online survey was disseminated to residents of Orchard Commons through the help of UBCFS associates, and was promoted by our in-person booth. The in-person booths served as a means to enhance the results we obtained from our online survey, providing understanding of students’ experience with food plate waste at the Open Kitchen (OK) dining hall. With this strategy, our team was able to evaluate the influence of the UBC Residence All Access Dining (AAD) Plan on the food preferences of first-year students, and help narrow the causes of food waste generated at Open Kitchen. Furthermore, a comprehensive literature review was conducted in order to summarize existing knowledge and take into account sensitivities, such as those that may influence individuals with eating disorders while designing surveys and conducting focus groups. Community-Based action research (CBAR) is the guiding framework with which our research was conducted. CBAR’s fundamental aim is to promote research and solutions that benefit the community in ways that can foster equity, collaboration, and encourage social change and justice (Gullion &amp; Tilton , 2020). With this in mind, our research’s primary aim is to provide knowledge that can be used to inform and support future sustainable practices at UBC and beyond. This project engages stakeholders at all levels, ensuring all have the opportunity to be co-creators of knowledge and have a stake in this process of learning. In this way, proposed interventions formed through joint creation and consultation ensure that solutions are realistic, sensitive to a multitude of perspectives, and align with dining operations and student preferences. Following the facilitation of our research methodologies, we developed two main deliverables: a data analysis of student food preferences and the primary drivers contributing to food waste at Open Kitchen, and recommendations for action that aim to minimize food plate waste and encourage climate-friendly eating habits among the Orchard Commons community. The findings of our research can support direct efforts to help lower GHGs emissions from dining hall-related food consumption on UBC’s Vancouver campus. Understanding the variables that affect food waste and student dietary preferences will help UBC put solutions into place to meet its climate action objectives and act as a role model for other academic institutions looking to minimize their environmental footprint. The results of this study are anticipated to have contributed to the broader understanding of sustainable food systems and to larger societal initiatives aimed at reducing climate change and promoting environmental sustainability. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”