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FOOD WASTE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO�

Briar Mills

milbr636@student.otago.ac.nz

food.waste@otago.ac.nz

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OUTLINE

Introduction

Food Waste Innovation

Upcycled Food Lab

My work

Audit of food waste

Initiatives at Otago

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INTRODUCTION

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FOOD WASTE INNOVATION

SOCIAL INNOVATION

Using behavioural science to understand the drivers responsible for food waste in order to make recommendations on minimization initiatives.
Testing solutions and providing impact analyses.

METRICS AND MANAGEMENT

Understanding how much food is being wasted, where it is being wasted, and its social, economic, and environmental impacts.

TECHNICAL INNOVATION

Using the latest science and technology to make the most of the business opportunity that food waste provides.

Food waste innovation has over 50 ‘investigators’ (students and academics) working on food waste related research from a range of disciplines. Our research is divided into three ‘subthemes’:

Social innovations: Using behavioural science to understand the drivers responsible for food waste in order to make recommendations on minimisation initiatives. Testing solutions and providing impact analyses.

Metrics and management: Understanding how much food is being wasted, where it is being wasted and its social, economic and environmental impacts.

Technical innovations: Using the latest science and technology to make the most of the business opportunity that food waste provides

Our ‘Upcycled Food Lab” sits across all of these subthemes.

University of Otago research theme, with XXX associated researchers.

Collaborates with industry

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UPCYCLED FOOD LAB

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UPCYCLED FOOD LAB

HUGE GROWTH SECTOR

Lots of space for new product development

HOMEBREW BEER

Food scientists and businesses working together

INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP

Food scientists and businesses working together

SPENT GRAIN CAKE

CONSUMER PERCEPTIONS

Behavioural scientists investigating consumer perceptions

https://foodwaste-otago.org/upcycled-food-lab

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PARTNERSHIPS

Food Waste Innovation operates with a number of important partnerships. It is an interdisciplinary research group, so while there are a large number of food scientists associated with the theme, there are also researchers from fields such as human nutrition, botany, sociology, marketing, geography, and chemistry. Additionally, the theme has associate investigators from external organisations, such as other universities in New Zealand and industry groups.

By bringing together people with a wide range of expertise, Food Waste Innovation is able to work together, share ideas and resources, and achieve optimal outcomes.

Food Waste Innovation works with many different industry groups, such as companies with waste for upcycled food development, goverment departments, food rescues, and other entities. By engaging with many different partners, including offering services such as industry consultancy, Food Waste Innovation is able to make essential progress in the fight against food waste.

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MY RESEARCH

Food waste at Otago’s residential colleges

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ABOUT THE RESIDENTIAL COLLEGES

14 residential colleges
Home to 3,500 students
Fully catered, with 3 meals per day
Currently no measurement of food waste

The University of Otago houses over 3,500 students across 14 residential colleges (https://www.otago.ac.nz/future-students/accommodation/colleges/index.html), 10 of which are owned by the university and four which are independently owned but formally affiliated with the university. The student residents are provided with three meals a day, buffet style prepared by the college kitchen staff. Despite the large quantities of food the colleges deal with on a daily basis, there is currently no measurement of food waste, both from plates and the kitchens. Measurement is an important part of food waste reduction, after all, what gets measured gets managed. However, Otago lacks regular measurement of food waste.

My project hopes to set a baseline for food waste measurement at Otago and in Aotearoa at tertiary institutes. Here at Otago, we have landfill reduction targets but no way of tracking food waste progress. My work will enable future initiatives to be put in place and progress to be monitored, as well has helping Otago progress to meet SDG 12.3.

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AUDIT

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SOME RESULTS

Approximately 150 to 200 g of total food waste per student per day
Over 500 kg per day across the colleges
Mostly plate waste
Different factors causing variation

Owned vs. affiliated – different kitchen set ups and suppliers

While I haven’t conducted in-depth analysis on the data yet, I can share some preliminary results from the audit. On average, around 150 to 200 grams of food is wasted per student each day, which, with approximately 3500 students, is over 500 kilograms across the colleges.

At most of the colleges, the majority of the waste is plate waste. However, at some colleges patterns of high buffet waste were noted. Additionally, the four university-affiliated colleges have kitchens that operate differently from the 10 university owned colleges. One aspect of this is different suppliers, so while the university owned colleges purchase items such as pre-peeled potatoes or grated carrots, the university affiliated colleges may purchase more whole ingredients, leading to more prep waste. So while my data may suggest there was little prep waste, it is important to take into account that not everything was captured in the audit.

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FOCUS GROUPS

THREE RESIDENTIAL COLLEGES

Chosen based on

Preliminary results
Size
Owned or affiliated

TWO DISCUSSIONS PER COLLEGE

With 8 to 10 residents
With 6 to 8 staff

TOPICS INCLUDING

Drivers behind food waste
Different waste behaviours between home and college
Potential food waste reduction ideas

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TRANSFERABILITY

MY AUDIT METHOD

AGED CARE SECTOR

DUNEDIN PUBLIC HOSPITAL

LARGE HOSPITALITY OPERATIONS

BOARDING SCHOOLS

OTHER HOSPITALS

DIFFERENT UNIVERSITY CATERING OPERATIONS

My research, particularly the methodology from my audit is transferrable to other food service applications. Food Waste Innovation is currently consulting for a nation wide aged care provider in New Zealand, to help them understand their food waste and potential interventions. We are also currently applying for government funding to replicate the project to cover the entire aged care sector in New Zealand, which includes over 50,000 people receiving foodservice in aged care. Another student project is consulting for the Dunedin Hospital to help them understand their food waste, to inform waste strategy for a new hospital currently being built.

The methodology I developed and used will be used for both of these projects, as the model of food service is very similar. This is just one example of the benefits of our research group, working together on solving food waste problems.

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CURRENTLY IN PLACE

TRAYLESS DINING

SMALLER PLATES

SUSTAINABLE EXTRAS

While my audit data sets a baseline for food waste measurement at Otago, there are already a number of initiatives in place to help minimise food waste and reduce waste to landfill.

Most colleges have had the trays removed from the dining rooms, to reduce plate waste. Many of the plates have also been downsized to prevent overfilling. The colleges used to have slightly smaller lunch plates, and larger dinner plates, but they have moved to using the lunch plates at both meals, to help students take appropriate portion sizes. The university-owned colleges also partake in ‘Mindful Mondays’, implemented by the university’s sustainability office. One part of this is sustainable extras, where leftovers from meals on previous days, when safe, are reheated and re-served. At one of the residential colleges, a commercial digester has been installed. It is still in the early days of implementation, with ongoing trialling before deciding whether or not to roll it out across the university.

Leftovers from events are provided to students through the student association, and there are a number of small scale compost heaps around campus.

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POTENTIAL INITIATIVES

Rating system for kitchens and dining rooms

Tracking food waste

Donation of extras

Fridges for leftovers

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WORKING WITH OTHER UNIVERSITIES

Collaborative partnerships
Productive working relationships
Sharing ideas

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SUMMARY

Food Waste Innovation

Upcycled Food Lab working with industry partners
Collaboration with a range of other universities, businesses and organisations

Work at Otago

Baseline measurement of food waste in colleges
Some initiatives already in place
A range of other planned initiatives

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THANK YOU

Briar Mills

milbr636@student.otago.ac.nz

food.waste@otago.ac.nz

www.foodwaste-otago.org