Food Waste Audit

UMF's South Dining Hall

HUNGRY?

These plates represent some of the food UMF students wasted during a dinner.

 

     The director of Aramark at UMF, Chris Kinney was interested in whether the amount of food wasted at meals would decrease if trays were removed from the dining hall. Communication with the University of Maine at Fort Kent's dining services allowed him to believe trays result in more food wasted. The idea being that empty space on trays gets filled with food that people don't really need and can't finish.   

      In spring of 2006 the Green Campus Coalition worked with Aramark staff to measure the average amount of food a student 'wastes' at each meal. GCC students (as well as Dr. Dave Heroux) worked in the 'dump line' inside the kitchen during breakfast, lunch, and dinner on April 13, 2006, weighing the wasted food that came in on plates and trays. On April 27th trays were removed from the dining hall, and a food waste audit was conducted again using the same methods. The results of these audits are displayed below.

Why does wasting food matter?

     When food is thrown away there is a lot of energy being wasted. The caloric energy that is in the food itself can be recycled somewhat by composting (learn more about composting at UMF). However, the energy that it takes to plant (or raise), water, tend, harvest, clean, package, transport and ultimately prepare food cannot be reclaimed. This energy can be substantial, especially considering how far much of our food travels to get to our plates.

Be conscious of the food you take, and think about where it comes from.         

FOOD WASTE AUDIT: a comparison with and without trays
                          4/13/2006 Trays were available as usual        
        Year Forecast Food Wasted
Meal Period Waste Weight Patron Count # per person ounces per person # of Board Days Pounds per Year
           
Breakfast 56.75 257.00 0.2208 3.53 207 11,747.25
Lunch 116.55 588.00 0.1982 3.17 207 24,125.85
Dinner 139.05 460.00 0.3023 4.83 207 28,783.35
           
Total 312.35 1,305.00 0.2393 3.82   64,656.45
           
           
             
4/27/2006 Trays were removed from Dining Hall      
        Year Forecast Food Wasted
Meal Period Waste Weight Patron Count # per person ounces per person # of Board Days Pounds per Year
           
Breakfast 46.53 322.00 0.1445 2.312 207 9,631.71
Lunch 85.11 659.00 0.1292 2.067 207 17,617.77
Dinner * Circus Night   No China      
           
Total 131.64 981.00 0.1342 2.147   27,249.48

The data above was collected during two separate food waste audits in UMF's South Dining Hall. On 4/13/2006 trays were available for all meals as the usually are. Trays were removed from the dining hall on 4/27/2006.

 *Waste was not weighed for the dinner on 4/27 because it was circus night and no china was used.

These data show that less food was wasted on the day where trays were not available, however there are a lot of factors along with the trays that could have affected these results. The main point to take away from this is that more food is wasted at UMF than need be. It comes down to personal choices about portions and consumptions, something we can all work on.  

 

 

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