CORPORATE

To create a sustainable

SOCIAL
model for improving the
efficiency and effectiveness

RESPONSIBILI
of Food Waste Management
in the College Canteen

TY
FOOD WASTE
MANAGEMENT IN
COLLEGE CANTEEN

AKSHAT KUMAR
KUNJIKA SINGH
PRADEEP KUMAR
SIYA RAIZADA
VISHWANATH KUMAR
 FOOD WASTE MANAGEMENT IN THE COLLEGE CANTEEN
To create a sustainable model for improving the efficiency and
effectiveness of Food Waste Management in the College Canteen.

Abstract

Food waste is defined as all the products discarded from the food chain
while still preserving their nutritional value and complying with the health
and safety standards. This study aims to improve food waste
management with respect to the College Canteen. The proposed research
would concentrate on the disposal of the waste food in the canteen due to
various factors. The main objective of this research would be to improve the
food disposal ways of the Canteen and finding sustainable ways for
efficient & effective production and distribution of the food.

Research Context

The study would be conducted in the Canteen area of the NIFT campus and
would mainly focus on the disposal of the waste food. The current state of
the area has been inspected as being highly dysfunctional in terms of the
food that is served and wasted and how it is disposed. That is why, it is
important to develop an effective and efficient system to control the amount
of food that is going to waste and the way it is being disposed.

Research Questions

To get some relevant firsthand information of the workings in the canteen

and how well it is being managed, a questionnaire would be followed,
consisting of the following questions:

1. How much food is prepared per day?

2. How much food is consumed per day and what percentage goes to
waste?
3. How is the wasted food disposed?
4. What steps are taken in the Canteen Kitchen to maintain hygiene?
5. According to you, why is so much food wasted per day?
6. What steps do you take at your end to reduce the amount of the food
that is wasted?
7. Approximately, how many consumers come per day?
8. The main cooking time?
9. What is the time with the maximum foot fall?
10. How do you cope up with an increase in demand and vice versa?
 11. What kind of containers is used to carry out the trash?

Research Methods

The main method for research would be through one-to-one interaction with
the staff that is managing the College Canteen as well as with some of the
students that avail the Canteen service to get a personalized opinion about
the food that is being served. The staff can give real time information about
the preparation and distribution of food as well as the disposal.

The main problems that the study would focus on are:

1. The heap of food that is thrown away untouched

2. Improper management system to clean up the thrown food
3. The hygiene level of the Mess area
4. Wastage of food

Significance of Research

The intended research would be conducted to study and improve the food
waste management system in the College Canteen of NIFT campus. It would
help in understanding the problems that give rise to the insufficient waste
disposal management of the area and how can it be improved by providing a
more effective, efficient and sustainable alternative.

Effectiveness

Effectiveness is the level of results from the actions of employees and

managers. Employees and managers who demonstrate effectiveness in the
workplace help produce high-quality results. Take, for instance, an employee
who works the sales floor. If hes effective, hell make sales consistently. If
hes ineffective, hell struggle to persuade customers to make a purchase.
Companies measure effectiveness often by conducting performance reviews.
The effectiveness of a workforce has an enormous impact on the quality of a
companys product or service, which often dictates a companys reputation
and customer satisfaction.

Improving effectiveness: to improve effectiveness, companies must take

the initiative to provide thorough performance reviews, detailing an
employees weakness through constructive criticism. Managers must make it
a point to address effectiveness and explain how an employees performance
affects the company as a whole. To avoid a workplace full of ineffective
employees, companies must hire high-performing employees by weeding out
candidates at the recruiting level. Employees are often ineffective because
they dont care about their work or because they dont possess the skills to
contribute. By interviewing candidates, calling references and conducting
tests, companies can bring on employees with skills better suited for
performing at a high level.

Efficiency

Efficiency in the workplace is the time it takes to do something. Efficient

employees and managers complete tasks in the least amount of time
possible with the least amount of resources possible by utilizing certain time-
saving strategies. Inefficient employees and managers take the long road.
For example, suppose a manager is attempting to communicate more
efficiently. He can accomplish his goal by using email rather than sending
letters to each employee. Efficiency and effectiveness are mutually
exclusive. A manager or employee who's efficient isnt always effective and
vice versa. Efficiency increases productivity and saves both time and money.

Improving efficiency: employees and managers are often inefficient

because they either dont know how to be efficient or do not have the
necessary tools to perform tasks efficiently. Ways to improve efficiency
include meeting with managers and employees to outline ways to implement
efficiency in the workplace and asking for opinions on what the workplace is
missing. For example, a small business that lacks an employee email system
prevents managers from communicating with employees efficiently.
Efficiency is concerned with the present state or the status quo. Thinking
about the future and adding or eliminating any resources might disturb the
current state of efficiency. Effectiveness, on the other hand, believes in
meeting the end goal and therefore takes into consideration any variables
that may change in the future.
Since efficiency is about doing things right, it demands documentation and
repetition of the same steps. Doing the same thing again and again in the
same manner will certainly discourage innovation. On the other hand,
effectiveness encourages innovation as it demands people to think, the
different ways they can meet the desired goal. Efficiency will look at avoiding
mistakes or errors whereas effectiveness is about gaining success.
Organizations have to be both efficient and effective in order to be
successful.

What is sustainability?

Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the

ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In addition to natural
resources, we also need social and economic resources. Sustainability is not
just environmentalism. Embedded in most definitions of sustainability we
also find concerns for social equity and economic development.

Where does the term come from?

While the concept of sustainability is a relatively new idea, the movement as
a whole has roots in social justice, conservationism, internationalism and
other past movements with rich histories. By the end of the twentieth
centurys, many of these ideas had come together in the call for sustainable
development.

The Bruntdland Commission

In 1983, the United Nations tapped former Norwegian prime minister Gro
Harlem Brundtland to run the new World Commission on Environment and
Development. After decades of effort to raise living standards through
industrialization, many countries were still dealing with extreme poverty. It
seemed that economic development at the cost of ecological health and
social equity did not lead to long-lasting prosperity. It was clear that the
world needed to find a way to harmonize ecology with prosperity.

After four years, the Brundtland Commission released its final report, Our
Common Future. It famously defines sustainable development as:

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising

the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

The Commission successfully unified environmentalism with social and

economic concerns on the worlds development agenda. Sustainability is a
holistic approach that considers ecological, social and economic dimensions,
recognizing that all must be considered together to find lasting prosperity

Three pillars of sustainability

What would a sustainable world look like?

Environmental Sustainability

Ecological integrity is maintained, all of earths environmental systems are

kept in balance while natural resources within them are consumed by
humans at a rate where they are able to replenish themselves.

Economic Sustainability

Human communities across the globe are able to maintain their

independence and have access to the resources that they require, financial
and other, to meet their needs. Economic systems are intact and activities
are available to everyone, such as secure sources of livelihood.

Social Sustainability

Universal human rights and basic necessities are attainable by all people,
who have access to enough resources in order to keep their families and
communities healthy and secure. Healthy communities have just leaders who
ensure personal, labour and cultural rights are respected and all people are
protected from discrimination.

What is the Need, Importance of Sustainable Development?

Sustainable development has been defined in many ways, but the most
frequently quoted definition is from Our Common Future, also known as the
Brundtland Report:

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the

present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs. Sustainable development has continued to evolve as that of
protecting the worlds resources while its true agenda is to control the
worlds resources. Environmentally sustainable economic growth refers to
economic development that meets the needs of all without leaving future
generations with fewer natural resources than those we enjoy today.

The essence of this form of development is a stable relationship between

human activities and the natural world, which does not diminish the
prospects for future generations to enjoy a quality of life at least as good as
our own.

The idea of environmentally sustainable economic growth is not new. Many

cultures over the course of human history have recognized the need for
harmony between the environment, society and economy. The
environmentally sustainable economic growth is synonym to the prevalent
concept of Sustainable Development. The goal of which is to achieve
balance/harmony between environment sustainability, economic
sustainability and socio-political sustainability.

However, one problem faced by environmental managers is that the goal of

sustainable development is not fully formed and its fundamental concepts
are still debated. Sustainable development, like environmental management,
is not easily defined.

According to other definitions, Sustainable developments are:

i. Environmental care married to development.

ii. Improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying
capacity of supporting ecosystems.

iii. Development based on the principle of inter-generational {i.e.

bequeathing the same or improved resource endowment to the future that
has been inherited), inter-species and inter-group equity.

iv. Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

v. An environmental handrail to guide development.

vi. A change in consumption patterns towards more benign products, and a

shift in investment patterns towards augmenting environmental capital.

vii. A process that seeks to make manifest a higher standard of living

(however interpreted) for human beings that recognizes this cannot be
achieved at the expense of environmental integrity.

The concept of sustainable development, although had appeared in the

1970s, was widely disseminated in the early 1980s by the World
Conservation Strategy (IUCN, UNEP and WWF, 1980), which called for the
maintenance of essential ecological processes; the preservation of
biodiversity; and sustainable use of species and ecosystems.

The Brundtland Report, Our Common Future (World Commission on

Environment and Development, 1987), placed it on the worlds political
agenda and helped re-kindle public interest in the environment. It also
spread the message that global environmental management was needed;
and that without a reduction of poverty, ecosystem damage would be
difficult to counter. Twenty years after the World Conservation Strategy the
same three bodies published Caring for the Earth (IUCN, UNEP and WWF,
1991), which proposed principles intended to help move from theory to
practice.

The concept of sustainable development was introduced in early 1980s (in

particular through the publication of the World Conservation Strategy by
IUCN, UNEP and WWF, 1980), in order to reconcile conservation and
development objectives. Since then, it has evoked much discussion.

The aim of sustainable development is to balance our economic,

environmental and social needs, allowing prosperity for now and future
generations. Sustainable development consists of a long-term, integrated
approach to developing and achieving a healthy community by jointly
addressing economic, environmental, and social issues, whilst avoiding the
over consumption of key natural resources.

Sustainable development encourages us to conserve and enhance our

resource base, by gradually changing the ways in which we develop and use
technologies. Countries must be allowed to meet their basic needs of
employment, food, energy, water and sanitation.

If this is to be done in a sustainable manner, then there is a definite need for

a sustainable level of population. Economic growth should be supported and
developing nations should be allowed a growth of equal quality to the
developed nations. There are four objectives of sustainable development:

These include social progress and equality, environmental protection,

conservation of natural resources and stable economic growth. Everybody
has the right to a healthy, clean and safe environment. Everybody has the
right to a healthy, clean and safe environment.

This can be achieved by reducing pollution, poverty, poor housing and

unemployment. No one, in this age, or in the future should be treated
unfairly. Global environmental threats, such as climate change and poor air
quality must be reduced to protect human and environmental health. The
use of non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels should not be stopped
overnight, but they must be used efficiently and the development of
alternatives should be encouraged to help phase them out.

Everybody has the right to a good standard of living, with better job
opportunities. Economic prosperity is required if our country is to prosper and
our businesses must therefore offer a high standard of products that
consumers throughout the world want, at the prices they are prepared to
pay. For this, we need a workforce equipped with suitable skills and
education within a framework to support them.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

1. FOOD WASTE IN SCHOOL CATERING: AN ITALIAN CASE STUDY

SUMMARY

Food losses and waste are currently at the heart of academic debates, civil
society initiatives, and political agendas. This paper investigates food waste
in school catering services focusing on six schools located in the municipality
of Verona (Italy). It aims to quantify food waste, as a measure of food
catering inefficiency, to identify the main causes, and to suggest a set of
prevention and reduction interventions. For these purposes food waste is
defined as all the products discarded from the food chain while still
preserving their nutritional value and complying with safety standards. This
research paper attempted to analyze the amount of food waste (i.e., food
processed and still perfectly edible, but not served during the meals) and to
investigate the main causes that lead to the identified amount of unserved
food and so to assess the operational efficiency of the food services to
suggest a recovery intervention model in order to reduce waste amounts and
improve a rational (economic) use of resources.

Case Study

For the research, a case study of six schools was conducted, consisting of
three Primary schools and three first grade secondary schools. Meals were
produced in a centralized cooking facility and then distributed to each
school. The products, transported in isothermal steel food containers
(Gastronorm), were then portioned and served at tables to the children. Once
the service was completed, unserved meals were made available for
collection by the charitable organizations volunteers.
During the first year (2008-2009), a preliminary analysis of the efficiency of
the canteen management system was conducted in which each portion of
unserved food was weighted, and its temperature was measured and
recorded.

During the second year (2009-2010), corrective actions to reduce

inefficiencies were identified. A procedure for product recovery, in
compliance with hygienic and sanitary regulations, and for its distribution to
charitable organizations that deliver food to disadvantaged people, was
defined. In order to apply corrective actions comprehensively, a protocol for
food recovery was set, aiming at ensuring the nutritional value, physical
integrity, and hygienic standard of the food distributed to the final
beneficiaries.

During the third year (2010-2011), data and information were collected along
with food recovery. Collected data focused of food recovery, treatment, and
transport. At the end of each day, unserved food was transferred to other
insulated containers in order to maintain its physical characteristics. In the
case of warm food, the proper conservation temperature was set to at least
65 C, while for cold food it was not to exceed 4 C. When the indicated
limits were not observed, food was not recovered.

Result
The analysis suggested that during the period of investigation the catering
service management had a high level of inefficiency, measured as the
amount of food processed but not served. This amount represented an
average of 15.31% (6523.35 kg) of the overall processed food.

The Causes of Food Waste

In light of the data that have been collected, school catering food waste
might be divided in three categories:

(a) avoidable unserved foodunserved food thrown away because there is

a lack of attention to dietary habits, limited flexibility in procurement, food is
presented in an unattractive manner, or there are alternative products on the
same menu;

(b) physiological unserved foodunserved food, cooked in excess to

ensure some extra portions to satisfy any possible requests for additional
food, for facilitating the portioning activity;

(c) Food served but not consumedwaste arising from food served during
the catering service but not completely consumed by students (dish
leftovers).

Conclusion

The work identified a significant level of inefficiency in the school catering

service, measured as the amount of food processed and still perfectly edible
but not served. The volume of food waste represented about 15.3% (6523.35
kg) of the total processed food. In other terms, 64 complete meals and 62
incomplete meals were wasted each day.

Among the causes identified in the study, the most relevant ones are: lack of
attention to dietary habits, rigid food procurement specifications, menu
composition, and meal presentation. In order to increase catering efficiency,
the study suggested an integrated strategy that involves the catering service
and other key stakeholders such as families and local and national
administrations. On the catering side, the research showed the need for at
least two types of intervention: reduction of the rigidity of standard rations
for each food type, to adjust the quantity of food when it is excessive; and
revision of the menus to avoid alternative products being served on the
same menu. An additional measure to increase efficiency is represented by
information campaigns aimed at improving dietary habits so as to decrease
the consumption of products with high caloric content, such as sweet and
salty snacks and sparkling beverages, which were identified as one of the
reasons why students refuse meals.

Prevention alone is not sufficient to achieve an optimal allocation of

resources; it should be integrated with recovery mechanisms to intervene
and adjust the additional failures of the catering system.

2. A Case Study on a Food Waste Reduction Project within school

Restaurants in Uppsaala, Sweden
It has been shown that food waste is reduced if the pupils have
their break (i.e. a time for recreation that is not associated with
academic activities) before eating lunch because otherwise the
pupils rush during lunch in order to have more time to play
The production, transportation and processing of food require a
considerable amount of water, land, minerals and energy. All
these inputs rely on ecosystem services which are used in vain
if food is not consumed at last. Therefore, the reduction of food
waste in schools and more generally in the entire food supply
chain will help to preserve the ecosystems services which will be
available for future generations
Therefore there exists two kinds of school kitchens in Uppsala,
the ones that prepare and cook food and the ones that only
serve food. From experience, the municipality of Uppsala has
observed that the later practice generate more food waste than
having kitchen on site in every school (Nygrdh, 2014).
 Offering the choice for three dishes render the planning for the
amount of food to cook more difficult than having only one or
two choices. In turn, having more dish choices generates more
food waste as the kitchen needs to cook more food for each
dish option in order to be sure that every child eats what they
want
During the food waste collection week, signs are placed in the
canteen so the pupils know where to throw their food waste
away. The pupils from the schools which succeed to reduce their
food waste in comparison to the earlier food waste collection
week are awarded with tasty food like ice creams.
Three data collection methods are used in this thesis;
questionnaires, interviews, and secondary data collection. The
interviews and secondary data collection are discussed later while
the questionnaires are further developed first. 3.1.1. Questionnaires
Preparing and interpreting the questionnaires consumed the most
time in this thesis. First the questionnaires design is discussed,
then the food waste issues are defined and, some comments on
reliability and validity are made and finally the questions are set.
1- Distributing the questionnaires during the lunch break to the
pupils and collecting it later the same day. 2- Creating an online
questionnaire and give the link to every pupils. 3- Ask the
teachers to hand in the questionnaire in their classes
Questions to ask
1- If I throw away the food served at school, I pollute the nature.
2- If I throw away the food served at school, others will be hungry.
3- If I throw away the food served at school, I will be thinner.
4- If I throw away the food served at school, the school loses money.
5- The food I throw away at school is burnt behind the school.
6- The food I throw away at school is used to make biogas for the buses in
Uppsala
7- The food I throw away at school is eaten by the dove at the Cathedral.
8- The food I throw away at school is used to make sausages (Falukorv).
9- The food I throw away at school is used to grow new food.
10- Ask the respondent to choose if in his/her opinion he/she
throws too little, normal or too much food away at school.

Conclusion: The pupils of Uppsala have in general low basic

knowledge of food waste issues except concerning the economic
consequences of food waste. The results of the research showed that
the pupils knowing about the tasty food incentive waste much less
food than others. In order to improve the results of the food waste
reduction project advices are given in regard to the theoretical
framework used in this research. The pupils knowledge of the basics
of food waste issues should be taught both in the classroom and
during study trips. The current incentive system should be reviewed
integrating the pupils point of view in order to optimize its power.
The schools policy concerning the lunch time need to be reviewed and
more holistic approach need to be adopted in order to include every
stakeholders in the project and its decision making.

References:

http://www.insightsquared.com/2013/08/effectiveness-vs-efficiency-whats-
the-difference/
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/difference-between-efficiency-effectiveness-
business-26009.html
http://www.differencebetween.net/business/difference-between-efficiency-
and-effectiveness/
Research Paper: Food Waste in School Catering- an Italian Case Study
http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/7/11/14745/pdf
Case Study: Food Waste at The School Level- Uppasala, Sweden
www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:742150/FULLTEXT01.pdf