Food waste in foodservice provided in educational settings: An exploratory study of institutions of early childhood education

Abstract

Educational institutions play an important societal role by shaping sustainability outlook of young consumers. No research has however been undertaken on such major sustainability challenge as food waste in foodservice provided by institutions of early childhood education, such as nurseries and kindergartens. This hampers an understanding of the opportunities for food waste prevention in this important institutional context of foodservice provision. This study employs sequential mixed methods to collect data on food waste and its management in foodservice provided by 40 public and private kindergartens in Russia. The study finds that, compared to public kindergartens, private kindergartens waste substantially less food and manage food waste more effectively. Such factors as: (1) smaller size; (2) closer contacts with parents and children; (3) more freedom in food procurement; (4) better operational flexibility; and (5) stricter control procedures over food preparation in the kitchen minimize food waste occurrence in private kindergartens. The study offers first benchmarks of food waste generated in foodservice provision in kindergartens which can be used for a comparative analysis in future research on food waste and its management in educational institutions. The study identifies ‘best practices’ in managing food waste in kindergartens and discusses the theoretical foundations which can justify broader application of these practices in institutions of early childhood education in Russia and beyond.