Page 65 - SU AIT Magazine

Estimating Food Waste:
A study of Existing Behavioural Practices in AIT

ow often have you paused and thought about the mainly comprises two phases namely ‘pre campaign phase
significance of your action, when you scrape off and ‘post campaign phase’. Food waste will be collected at
Hyour plates after a large meal, too full to finish the each facility, separated into different food categories and
remaining scraps on our plate? It seems routine to us: if we weighed. This will be done to observe whether the “Save
have leftover food scraps that are unfit for eating, shouldn’t Food Campaign”, which will be held between the two
they be thrown in the garbage? Our routine practices, surveys, has any considerable impact on the consumers
unfortunately, make it difficult for us to conceptualize the behavior towards food waste. The study is expected to
magnitude of global food waste. The problem is much help suggest measures to reach an appropriate solution
bigger than what we think. to address the existing causes of food waste generation.
Finally, a set of conclusions and recommendations will
Let me put you through two statistics by the United Nations be presented including ways to reduce the food waste
Food and Agriculture Organization. It estimates that about generated by students on campus through a stakeholder
795 million people of the 7.3 billion people in the world, or workshop.
one in nine, are suffering from chronic undernourishment
in 2014-2016. On the other hand global food waste is The study attempts at reducing the current state of food
1.3 billion tons per year, which is one third of total food waste generated by university students through behavioral
production. In rich countries every year, 222 million tons changes. It explores the potential of reducing food waste by
food are wasted which is almost equal to entire net food conducting awareness campaigns to identify the potential
production of sub Saharan Africa (230 mil ton) (FAO, 2013). causes of food loss. This will help raise the awareness level
These two contrary statistics prove the height and necessity of students and will advocate actions to reduce food waste
of addressing the issue of food waste. 40 % of total food by promoting behavioral change. The results may be
waste is being generated at post consumer level of which further elaborated at country wide and city wide level in
around 15 % is contributed by food service and eateries future which may be helpful in finding a role of attitude in
which is completely avoidable and requires behavioral food waste in developing countries.
change.
The main objective of this study is to estimate the quantity
and nature of food waste generated by students of different
age groups and nationalities as well as to understand the
current state of behavioral practices of students which result
in generation of food waste. AIT being a home for students, Lavaraj Devkota
faculties and staffs of different age, education level and Manisha Singh
nationalities is taken as a pilot model for study. The study - FEBT

SU Magazine: In Harmony 65