Search Results (28)

The HoReCa (Hotels, Restaurants, and Cafes) sector plays a pivotal role in the economy due to its strong connections with various other industries, including agriculture, food and beverage, construction, packaging, waste management, water, and textiles. Given its broad impact, understanding the perceptions of students—emerging consumers and future professionals—could provide valuable insights for businesses seeking to enhance sustainable practices in ways that resonate with younger generations and improve their competitiveness. However, there is still limited understanding of how students perceive and engage with sustainability in this sector. This study explores student perceptions of sustainability practices within the HoReCa sector, examining their awareness levels, expectations, and behavior. The objective is to assess how effectively current business approaches align with student values regarding sustainability initiatives and identify key factors influencing their engagement. A structured questionnaire was distributed among university students, and the collected data was analyzed using statistical techniques to identify meaningful trends and correlations. Findings revealed a notable disconnect between students’ professed sustainability values and their actual behavior. Primary obstacles included price sensitivity, skepticism toward environmental marketing claims, and insufficient access to clear sustainability information from businesses. Despite supporting sustainable initiatives in principle, students often struggle to translate their values into purchasing decisions. The research suggests that greater business transparency, enhanced sustainability education, and incentive programs could foster increased student engagement. Full article

Background: Vietnam is experiencing a significant “double burden” of malnutrition, characterized by the persistent challenge of undernutrition, particularly stunting in ethnic minority and mountainous regions, alongside a rising prevalence of overweight and obesity. Understanding dual nutritional status and its related factors in adolescents from these vulnerable areas is crucial for effective intervention. Objective: The current study explored the nutritional status of ethnic minority secondary school students in some mountainous provinces in the northwest of Vietnam and identified some related factors. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study over six months (June–December 2023), involving 1847 ethnic minority high school students from Son La and Dien Bien provinces, recruited through convenience sampling in primary healthcare settings. Nutritional status was determined using WHO 2006 Child Growth Standards, specifically height-for-age Z-scores (HAZ) and body mass index (BMI)-for-age Z-scores (BAZ). A 4-point scale assessed nutritional practices, including food consumption frequency and eating habits. Results: This study identified a stunting (HAZ < −2 SD) prevalence of 16.7% and wasting (BAZ < −2 SD) of 5.6%; overweight/obesity (BAZ > +1 SD) prevalence was 8.2%. Key factors related to stunting were being male, having more siblings, poor/near-poor household economic status, low maternal education level, and frequent occurrences of gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases. A higher risk of overweight/obesity was associated with consuming more than three meals daily, nocturnal snacking, frequent intake of fried foods, insufficient consumption of vegetables and fruits, and inadequate daily physical activity. Conclusions: Our study shows a comprehensive picture of malnutrition among children in ethnic minority areas. Essential nutritional intervention programs, projects, and models are a top priority to reduce the disease burden for children’s bright future and to enhance socio-economic development in the mountainous regions of Vietnam. Full article

Background/Objectives: Vegetable leftovers constitute more than half of Vietnamese school lunch waste, partly due to limited ingredient variety, which may reduce meal acceptance. Methods: This cross-over study assessed the impact of diversifying vegetable options on intake and satisfaction among 40 students at a suburban Vietnamese primary school. Five new menus were developed by redistributing a 100 g vegetable portion into smaller servings of multiple vegetable types, combining them creatively with protein-rich foods or rice while maintaining nutritional value and cost. Students alternated between current and new menus over four weeks. Sensory evaluations using a 5-point hedonic scale and food weighing were conducted daily. Results: Most students increased vegetable intake during the new menu period. Mean intake was significantly higher with new menus (81.5 g; 95%CI: 77.1–85.9) compared to current menus (71.1 g; 95%CI: 65.2–75.1) (p < 0.001). Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that enhancing vegetable variety in combination can significantly improve intake and sensory characteristics without additional costs. This scalable strategy offers a practical solution for schools to foster healthier eating habits among students. Full article

Background/Objective: Students’ taste preferences, cooking skills, and cultural backgrounds impact their use of food access resources on campus. Meal kits include pre-sorted ingredients, which could address food waste and help to prepare meals with unfamiliar ingredients. The objective of this exploratory pilot study was to develop and investigate the impact of culturally relevant meal kits on cooking skills, food waste, and food security tailored to UC Davis students. Methods: Meal kits included ingredients found at the campus food pantry. Three culturally relevant recipes were selected: High-Protein Avocado Toast, Mexican-Inspired Quinoa Bowl, and a Korean Vegetable Stir-Fry. Students were randomly assigned to the intervention meal kit group (n = 50), while the comparison recipe card group received a digital recipe card (n = 25). Data were collected through pre- and post-surveys administered online, in addition to open-ended, qualitative feedback through surveys after each meal kit or recipe card. Results: Thirty-two participants in the meal kit group and four participants in the recipe card group completed all study measures. Both groups experienced an increase in being classified as high food security over the three-week intervention period (+13% in the intervention group and +75% in the comparison group). Further, the intervention group improved cooking self-efficacy (+1.2 points; p < 0.01) and food waste practices. Participants appreciated the meal kits’ ease of preparation, clear instructions, and minimal cooking steps. Conclusions: The preliminary findings of this exploratory pilot study highlight the potential importance of culturally relevant interventions to address food security and promote healthier eating habits among college students. However, more research is needed with a larger, more diverse sample over a longer duration. Full article

Tracking density in universities is essential for planning services like food, transportation, and social activities on campus. However, food waste remains a critical challenge in campus dining operations, leading to significant environmental and economic consequences. Addressing this issue is crucial not only for minimizing environmental impact but also for achieving sustainable operational efficiency. Campus food services significantly influence students’ university choices; thus, forecasting meal consumption and preferences enables effective planning. This study tackles food waste by analyzing daily campus data with machine learning, revealing strategic insights related to food variety and sustainability. The algorithms Linear Regression, Extra Tree Regressor, Lasso, Decision Tree Regressor, XGBoost Regressor, and Gradient Boosting Regressor were used to predict food preferences and daily meal counts. Among these, the Lasso algorithm demonstrated the highest accuracy with an R² metric value of 0.999, while the XGBRegressor also performed well with an R² metric value of 0.882. The results underline that factors such as meal variety, counts, revenue, campus mobility, and temperature effectively influence food preferences. By balancing production with demand, this model significantly reduced food waste to 28%. This achievement highlights the potential for machine learning models to enhance sustainable dining services and operational efficiency on university campuses. Full article

(1) Background: Globally, millions of tons of food are wasted annually, with a significant portion occurring at the household level. This study aimed to quantify food waste generated by university students and identify key factors associated with this behavior. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a community trial involving 227 Colombian university students. Participants self-reported their daily food waste (grams per person per day), as categorized by food type, which was collected through an online-based questionnaire under prior training. The data were analyzed using a binomial regression model to calculate adjusted prevalence ratios (PRaj) and identify associations between food waste and demographic variables. (3) Results: Of the participants, 63% were women, with a mean age of 20.4 ± 3.8 years. Overall, 65% (n = 148) reported food wastage. The average food waste per person per day was 22.6 ± 15.5 g, increasing to 94.0 ± 5.0 g among those who reported wastage. Significant associations were found between food waste and several factors: Among those with a higher prevalence of food waste were women (PRaj = 1.49; 95% CI: 1.19, 1.89); students from rural areas (PRaj = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.15, 1.67); and those with higher income levels, with adjusted prevalence ratios of 1.38 (95% CI: 1.14, 1.68) for those earning 1–2 Minimum Legal Monthly Wages (LMMW) and 1.49 (95% CI: 1.15, 1.93) for those earning 3+ LMMW. Household size and socioeconomic status were not significantly associated with food waste (p > 0.05). (4) Conclusions: On average, the population generates 8.25 kg of food waste per person per year, rising to 34.31 kg among those who report wasting food. Gender, geographic location, and income were key predictors of daily food waste. Full article

Food waste is a growing environmental, economic, and social challenge worldwide. This study aimed to assess the association between various socio-demographic characteristics and household food waste behaviors among university students in Italy. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated, online, anonymous, and voluntary-based questionnaire distributed among university students in Milan, Italy. Linear regression analyses were performed to explore the association between socio-demographic factors and anti-household food waste behaviors (preventive practice, abilities scores, and parental guidance). A total of 2779 students participated in the survey. Students residing outside Lombardy exhibited higher preventive practice scores (β = 0.11, p = 0.030). Regular smoking was negatively associated with preventive practice (β = −0.22, p < 0.001) and abilities scores (β = −0.11, p = 0.009). Cohabitation with a partner positively impacted abilities scores (β = 0.23, p = 0.007). Larger family sizes and students in scientific fields showed higher scores for parents’ guidance (β = 0.18, p < 0.001). Frequent use of food delivery apps correlated with lower scores across all categories, while anti-food waste apps had a positive effect. Socio-demographic factors significantly influence food waste behaviors among university students. Tailored public health policies and educational programs addressing these factors could effectively reduce food waste. Full article

Information intervention is often used to reduce food waste in restaurants and canteens. Existing studies have overlooked the target audience’s psychological and behavioral characteristics during message design, resulting in erratic intervention outcomes. This study proposes an audience-oriented information intervention approach that integrates goal systems theory and information feedback paradigms. The cornerstone underlying this approach is the elaboration of release-type and feedback-type intervention messages. Our approach offers a procedure to determine the optimal message-based intervention program. This study empirically applied the approach to intervene in food waste behavior among 1141 Chinese university students in canteens. A between-subjects design quasi experiment was conducted to explore the effect of information intervention, and the results showed that the downward comparative feedback-type message at the ordering stage performed the best. Findings offer practical guidance for reducing food waste in various consumption scenarios and useful inputs for encouraging green consumption behavior. Full article

Reducing consumer food waste plays an important role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Considering the large number of colleges in China, with the largest enrollment in the world, it is especially important to address the issue of food waste among college students. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects that the college canteen catering modes have on the food-saving behavior of college students remain unclear. To fill this gap, an integrated theoretical framework model was constructed from the perspective of “psychological factors–behavioral intention–external environment–actual behavior” based on the theory of planned behavior, the norm activation model, and the attitude–context–behavior theory. Then, 422 valid questionnaires were empirically analyzed by structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression. The main conclusions of this study are as follows: (1) Food-saving intention and herd mentality are the major drivers of college students’ food-saving behavior. Personal norms, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavior control, and health risk perception are influencing factors on food-saving intention, among which personal norms have the greatest effect. (2) The standard-quantity catering mode has an inhibitory moderating effect, while the large-/small-portion-size and buffet catering modes have promoting moderating effects in the transformation of food-saving intention into actual behavior. Notably, the moderating effects of the buffet catering mode are more pronounced than those of the large-/small-portion-size catering mode. (3) The standard-quantity catering mode has a promoting moderating effect, while the large-/small-portion-size and buffet catering modes have inhibitory moderating effects in the path of the negative impact of herd mentality on food-saving behavior. These conclusions can help colleges recommend strategies to avoid food waste on their campuses from the perspectives of both the individual student and the food provider. Full article

Reducing food waste in the student population is important for promoting sustainable economic, social, and ecological development. In this paper, with the help of CiteSpace software (versions 6.1.R6 and 6.2.R4), we visually analyze the literature related to the food waste of students in the WoS core collection database. It is found that (1) scholars are paying increasing attention to the field of student food waste research, with the United States being the country with the largest total amount of research in this field, the greatest academic influence, and the most frequent cooperation with other countries. (2) Research in this field can be broadly divided into three phases: the starting period (2000–2010), the exploration period (2011–2015), and the development period (2016–2023). The research on student food waste involves multiple fields of knowledge, such as statistics, behavior, psychology, management, nutrition, etc. It is divided into three research hotspots, namely student food waste quantity measurement, student food waste influencing factors, and student food waste behavioral interventions, as well as three cutting-edge themes, namely student food waste in developing countries, student food waste and dietary intake and nutritional health, and student food waste from the perspective of behavioral science. (3) Scholars from different countries/regions have different research focuses. Research in the United States focuses on the development of student food waste interventions and the investigation of students’ and teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, and barriers to intervention in student populations; European scholars focus on researching this area from a behavioral perspective; developing countries in Asia focus on quantifying the level of food waste among college students and exploring the impact of demographic factors on student food waste; and developed countries in Asia focus on surveys of teachers, dietitians, and other parties to explore the impact of food education on food waste and propose food education interventions based on the recommendations of various parties. Based on the above findings, future research directions are proposed to provide references for subsequent research on food waste among students. Full article

Food waste is a major contributor to climate change. Schools offer a unique opportunity to educate on this issue while also reducing food waste generation; however, few climate-change education curricula that include a food waste component have been developed and tested with fidelity. Thus, the purpose of this cluster randomized controlled study was to assess the effectiveness of a climate change and food waste education program called NJ Leaves No Bite Behind (NJLNBB) among fifth-grade students. Lessons on food waste and sustainable food behaviors were developed that aligned with NJ Student Learning Standards for Climate Change and Next-Generation Science Standards. Participants (n = 162) completed pre- and post-test surveys that assessed knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and behaviors. Post-test, the experimental group (n = 102) had significantly (p < 0.05) higher mean scores in knowledge, social norms, behavioral intentions, and perceived behavioral control compared to the control group (n = 60), with medium effect sizes, as determined by partial eta-squared. There were no significant between-group differences in mean score attitudes, self-efficacy, motivation to comply, or climate-friendly behaviors post-test. Almost three-quarters of participants who received the program agreed or strongly agreed the lessons were fun (75.5%), liked the card games (72.5), and learned a lot (78.4%). These findings are promising in terms of teaching adolescents the impacts of food waste on the climate. Full article

Consumers’ perception plays a central role in tackling food waste at the final consumption stage, specifically among university students. In Europe, it is estimated that 47 to 67 Mt of food waste is generated at the household level or at food service consumption, including university canteens. The present cross-country research, through an online-based questionnaire among university students, investigates students’ perception on food waste by distinguishing among two different categories: on the one side, students living with their family; on the other side, students living without their family. Further, the research distinguishes among students eating at university canteens, students preparing food at home, students purchasing take-away foods and students coming back home to eat. The study compares university students’ perception on food waste in Italy and in Poland, with the overarching purpose of shaping sustainable pathways and defining educational interventions to enhance students’ perception and awareness on food waste. Data are analyzed according to the Mann–Whitney U test and the Kruskal–Wallis test. Age is a pivotal factor and suggests a generational gap in awareness and attitude toward food waste, whereas sex significantly affects food waste perception in Poland but not in Italy, suggesting a more homogeneous perception across sexes. The research highlights the impacts that socio-economic and environmental crises (e.g., climate change, the Russia–Ukraine conflict, high inflation rates) have on food waste perception in Poland, which is closer to that of Russia and Ukraine compared to that of Italy, and provides academics, practitioners and public authorities with practical and theoretical insights toward food waste minimization. Full article

Probiotics are among those products, the use of which is increasing, and they are available primarily as food/dietary supplements, as well as in the form of medicines. This study aims to assess the attitudes and practices of health professionals and students of health sciences, give a short overview of the probiotics currently on the market, and conduct a screening of five food supplements and one drug with respect to antibiotic resistance. Nearly half of the respondents in our survey state that probiotics have no side effects, while only 6.3% believe that the use of probiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance. In addition, more than 40% of the participants throw unused probiotics into municipal waste. The market analysis results indicate that probiotic products on the Serbian market have highly variable CFU counts, while the declared health claims cover numerous beneficial health effects, and they are sometimes even registered as medicines. Lactobacilli are frequently present in probiotic supplements, and are sold in pharmacies and online. The experimental results showed that antibiotic resistance is present in different types of lactobacilli in probiotic products. The risk of using probiotics, regardless of their beneficial health effects, should be taken into account in the future. An update to the regulations governing probiotics, including a stipulation for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) testing, should be established, and guidelines for their proper use and disposal put into place. Full article

This study aims to detect those segments among the Hungarian food consumers who are aware of the climate risks of their food consumption. In order to achieve this goal, a survey was conducted with the participation of Hungarian university students. Data from 1184 households were collected and used in Factor (Principal Component) and Cluster Analysis. Two very conscious clusters were found; both are highly qualified. One favored waste utilization, asserting that and encouraging most of its members to follow a zero-waste lifestyle. The latter mentioned that cluster members are young, and they are in a good financial situation. The findings of this study may be of interest to policy makers for environmentally responsible food consumption guidance and training for planning consumer awareness programs. Even though several previous studies have addressed the concept of consumer awareness concerning food purchase decisions, only few of them dealt with consumer awareness in the environment and climate domain in food consumption in Hungary, so this research could be considered as filling a gap. Full article

The Mediterranean Diet (MedD), which UNESCO recognizes as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, constitutes a healthy eating pattern that helps prevent illness. The aim of this work is to know how well the university community of Almeria (Spain) adheres to MedD as a healthy lifestyle standard. For this purpose, the authors administered a survey to students, teachers, and administrative and service personnel at the University of Almeria. The sample for the survey comprised 610 people. Of whom, 64.7% were women; 23% were Teaching, and Research Staff (PDI); 17.3% were Administration and Services Staff (PAS); and 59.7% were students. The average age was 32 years. Results show an average level of MedD adherence overall in the university community, although 40.9% have a low adherence level. The most representative MedD adherent can be profiled as a young Spanish female, who values sustainability, reads the labels of the products she consumes, exercises regularly, cooks healthy food, and recycles waste. We suggest [to the University authorities] to advertise the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet among the university community and offer menus based on the MedD in the university canteen. Full article