Interventions for reducing food waste and behavioural change among students in higher education institutions – A systematic review

Abstract

Minimizing food waste is crucial due to its environmental, economic, and social implications. As higher education institutions play a very important role in moulding the future society, educating and incorporating the behaviour of food waste minimization practices among young adults at college may help to create a society that is sustainable and environmentally conscious. The objective of this review is to examine the food waste reduction strategies implemented in university and college environments. The effective strategies in reducing waste and changing the behavior of the students were also investigated.The study systematically searched articles on interventions for food waste reduction in Pubmed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Springerlink databases from 2013 to 2023. From the 623 articles screened, 16 articles were included in this study. The interventions to decrease food waste that have been extensively researched in academic settings include awareness and information campaigns, tray-less dining and portion size reduction. In addition, altering plate sizes, offering financial incentives, and encouraging food sharing among college students were also implemented as food waste reduction strategies and evaluated in literatures. As the studies are heterogeneous, quantitatively comparing the effectiveness of different strategies in reducing food waste was not done. The majority of research involved implementing interventions during dinning time; however, adjustments can also be made beforehand based on students' preferences and food choices, which may lead to a reduction in food waste. In the future, research on Nudge-type interventions that take sociocultural and lifestyle aspects into account can be conducted to determine the long-term effects on students' changing food waste behaviors.