Food Waste Assessment in Universidade do Algarve’s Canteen

Food is discarded at every step of the food chain. Consumers are responsible for around 35% of all food waste. For consumers, food service providers, governments, and international organizations and institutions, it is becoming increasingly essential to tackle this issue. In recent years, just a few studies on food waste, addressing food services in canteens, have been published. The overall objectives of this study were to estimate the amount of food waste in one of the canteens at the Universidade do Algarve (UAlg), to understand the current practices at the university in relation to food waste, and to develop a method to reduce food waste in university canteens, which are used both by students and by administrative and academic staff. This research looked at the food waste at the UAlg’s canteen on Campus of Penha, Faro, Portugal, which comprised 483 meals. Food waste per item during the preparation stage varied from 1% (fish) to 78% (collard), with a total wastage rate of 9%, according to the statistics. Based on weighing, 11%, 21%, 24%, and 13% of the given food will be wasted for soup, meals, salad, and dessert, respectively. With additional classification, there were differences in meal types and variation among various meal variants. Because the amount of edible food waste for various types and variety meals ranges from 57% to 91%, UAlg Social Services and the canteen management team should apply every strategy to reduce food waste as soon as feasible.