Analysis of food waste in food services at the University of Costa Rica: did anything change post-pandemic?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15517/ca0fcb61Keywords:
Food Waste, University Food Services, University of Costa Rica, Post-Pandemic, National indicatorAbstract
Introduction: Food waste in food services (FS) has environmental, economic, and social implications. Since 2018, the University of Costa Rica (UCR) has implemented actions to measure and reduce waste in its FS, although the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted these efforts. This study analyzed food waste in the FS of the Rodrigo Facio campus after the pandemic and compared it with previous measurements (2018-2019) to establish mitigation strategies. Methodology: A quantitative, cross-sectional, and descriptive study was conducted in four FS of UCR. Three measurements were carried out in the FS, evaluating the areas of storage, production, service, and plate waste. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey's test to determine statistical significance (p ≤ 0.05). Results: Significant differences in waste were observed, but not in the production of FS in 2023. FS N2 had over 10% of food waste. The highest food waste was observed on served plates in all cases. A 52% decrease in daily food production was identified in 2023 compared to 2019, suggesting a lower influx of users post-pandemic. It was determined that most FS have significantly reduced waste over time. Conclusions: Waste on served plates remains the greatest challenge. The data obtained contributes to the construction of the national food waste indicator and pave the way for the implementation of reduction strategies in these FS.
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