Food Waste on College Campuses

Prepared for: Wayne State Universitys Residential Dining Director

Prepared by: Karishma Agrawal
April 17, 2016

Wayne Sate University

42 W Warren Ave
Detroit, MI 48202
April 17, 2016
Office of Housing & Residential Life
Wayne State University
470 Student Center Building
Detroit, MI 48202
Dear Jillian Williams,
This document contains a report regarding the amount of food wasted on college campuses and a
proposal for reducing the amount of food wasted. This report focuses on how there is an
overproduction of food on college campuses to accommodate for the student body. Due to there
being more food than the students can eat, some food is inevitably thrown away and wasted. This
is a waste of food and resources, as the food can easily be used to feed someone elsewhere.
Some proposed solutions include:

Repackaging leftover food and delivering it to local food banks

Changing the buffet styled cafeterias to a made to order system
Creating or adopting a program focused on reducing food waste on campuses

Through research, I have found that students often take more food than they can eat due to the
large variety of food available in a buffet styled cafeteria. There are programs at several
universities that focus on reducing the amount of food wasted on campus by either changing the
serving style or finding use for the food that would be wasted. College campuses overproduction
of food is one of the main reasons of food waste, which is why colleges are taking initiative and
trying to solve the problem.
Thank you for your time and consideration while reading this report. My goal is to create a
program that will reduce the amount of food wasted on Wayne State Universitys campus. If you
have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me at fv9295@wayne.edu or (734) 386-9296.
Sincerely,
Karishma Agrawal

Table of Contents
Letter of Transmittal2
Executive Summary.5
Introduction......6
Background..7
Research Methods and Results.9
Overview of Possible Solutions...10
Criteria.11
Recommendations12
Works Cited.13

Table of Figures
Figure 1....6
Table 1.....7
Figure 2....8

Executive Summary
The amount of food currently being produced in Wayne State Universitys cafeterias, Towers
Caf and Gold & Greens, is larger than the amount the students can consume. Food waste is a
major problem and every year consumers in rich countries waste almost as much food (222
million tons) as the entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa (230 million tons).
Solutions to reducing this problem include:

Repackaging leftover food and delivering it to local food banks

Changing the buffet styled cafeterias to a made to order style
Creating or adapting a program focused on reducing food waste on campuses

These solutions are directed towards Wayne State Universitys campus and dining system. The
information found regarding these solutions were based off of solutions other colleges have
adapted through the past years to reduce food waste on their campuses. These solutions were
evaluated based on the following criteria:

Cost
Resources
Liability issues

In conclusion, food waste is a major problem that needs to be addressed. The amount of food
wasted on Wayne State Universitys campus can either be reduced in terms of amount produced
or the leftover food that would be otherwise thrown away can go to a different cause. By
redistributing the food to a local food kitchen, this solution could provide assistance in solving
Detroits poverty problem as well.

Introduction
The main purpose of this document is to propose a way for Wayne State to reduce the amount of
food waste that occurs due to overproduction by possibly redistributing the food that would have
been otherwise wasted. According to Figure 1, 40% of food in America is wasted each year due
to colleges, restaurants, and families. This is a major problem because every one in six people in
America do not have any idea as to when their next meal will be. There is a lot of poverty and
hungry people in America, so it is astounding when so much edible food is thrown away and
wasted every day.

Figure 1
Ideally, the amount of food produced would be equivalent to how much students can eat for the
day, but there is not a simple equation for the dining staff to follow as to how much food to
make. Students eating patterns often remain consistent, but there is a lot of flexibility to their
schedule. Some days, students do not wake up early enough for breakfast, while other days, they
are awake early enough to eat some food. Sometimes, students have a late night of studying and
go back to the cafeteria to get some extra food for the night. The dining staff cannot predict
which days they will need the extra food. This makes the ideal situation more difficult to reach.
The reality is, as long as there is a buffet styled cafeteria system, there will be an overproduction
of food. However, instead of throwing the extra food produced away, the food can go to someone
in need. This way, when the dining staff produces more food than the students can eat, the extra
food, that would be otherwise thrown away, will still go to a good use. The other solution is to
change the buffet styled cafeteria system altogether and instead adopt a made to order system.
The made to order system is used at Western Michigan University and due to this rather than the
buffet style system, food waste is not only reduced, but the meals are often fresher. Either way,
the buffet styled cafeteria system is not working right now and there needs to be a change.

Background
Wayne State University is located in Detroit, Michigan, which is a relatively poverty stricken
city. Homeless people litter the corners, holding up signs asking for a kind donation. It is ironic
that while some people have to sit in freezing, smoldering, and other relatively undesirable
temperatures, just a few miles down the road, students at Wayne State University are taking more
food than they can eat and throwing the rest away. Students on college campuses waste 142
pounds of food a year, while people who do not live on college campuses only waste around 38
pounds of food a year. This shows that when a student moves to a college campus, they are much
more likely to waste more food than they did while they were living at home.
The United States is a high income country, which means that food waste is not due to lack of
quality or poor packaging. Instead, food is wasted due to aesthetic defects. For example, when a
carrot is not orange enough, or if it is broken, the carrot might not be packaged because people
will be less likely to reach for the bag with a less than desirable carrot. Other reasons for food
waste include the customers understanding of what the best before date means. Sometimes the
food package reads sell by, best before, and use by, which are all the same but are often
misinterpreted. In fact, the food expiration date confusion has caused up to 90% of Americans to
waste food. Although the food may still be fine to eat, people throw out the food due to fear of
food safety.
Table 1 shows the amount of money, in billions of dollars, that is wasted due to food waste.

Table 1

Food Waste is not just a problem in itself, but is a catalyst for other problems such as taking
space in landfills, economic loss, and causing environmental damage. From Figure 2 below,
published by the EPA, it is clear that 95% of food waste ends up in landfills. An option other than
donating the food is composting the food as mentioned in the graphic. While this graphic focuses
more on trash, it can be related to food waste. A major component in landfills is food waste. By
not reusing the food, or giving the food as donation, Wayne State is contributing to this harmful
alternative.

Figure 2
Food waste can be prevented from reaching landfills if people were to reuse food and reduce the
amount they were to make or order at restaurants. For college campuses, the implementation of
an organization that takes leftover food to nearby soup kitchens and donation centers would
greatly help reduce the food waste for the university. This would mean less food going to the
landfills, and more of it being either composted or donated.

Research Methods and Results

To create this report, I did a lot of online research. I was planning on interviewing a member of
the dining services staff at Wayne State to gain an estimate of how much food is produced versus
how much food is wasted in the cafeterias. Although I was unable to obtain this direct data, I
interviewed a member of the Food Recovery Network and he provided information on how
Wayne State can repackage the extra food at the end of the day and redistribute it to local food
banks.
I interviewed Aaron Szpytman, who is the President of Wayne State Universitys Food Recovery
Network Chapter. Aaron informed me that this is the first year that the Food Recovery Network
has been active on campus. Briefly, he described the first year as successful, however, they did
encounter a number of problems. The major problem Aaron found was that Dining Services did
not always provide leftover food for them to package and redistribute. In the beginning, Dining
Services gave him the leftover food, which was then donated to the Detroit Rescue Mission
Ministry. However, as the year went on, Dining Services forgot to set out the leftover food and
instead threw it away. Furthermore, there are not too many members who actively and
consistently participate in donating the leftover food. This has caused last minute stress due to
the lack of members showing up compared to the amount of members who promised to show up.
However, Aaron believes that with more support from the student body, as well as a stronger
enforcement through Dining Services to set out leftover food, the Wayne State Chapter of the
Food Recovery Network will be very prosperous.
The interview proved to be very helpful in deciding which plan is the most efficient, however, I
had to do outside research as well to conclude which plan would be the most successful. Through
online research, I was able to find how other schools in Michigan and in the country have tried to
reduce food waste on college campuses. Some schools have adopted a made to order cafeteria
system, while others have tried changing the tray system to a plate system. The made to order
system was adopted at Western Michigan University and it proved to lessen food waste, but there
is still an overproduction of food. The research supports the theory that the amount of food
produced will not meet the amount of food needed on a college campus; there will always be
overproduction which will lead to food being thrown away.

Overview of Possible Solutions

One possible solution to reducing food waste on campus is to support the Food Recovery
Network on campus. Since this is their first year, they can either fail or succeed as an
organization within the next few years. This is the most fragile time for them, however, they are
managing to not only put the potentially wasted food to better use, but they are also helping the
hunger issue in Detroit. This solution manages to solve two problems at once, or at the very least,
solves one problem while supplementing the help of another. The Food Recovery Network
repackages and redistributes food to those in need. There will always be an overproduction of
food; if the leftover food goes to those in need, then this solution is very beneficial.
Another possible solution is to change the buffet styled cafeterias at Wayne State University and
instead adopt a made to order food system. By doing this, students will not only have fresher
food, but there will also be less overproduction. This will allow students to eat the meal that they
want, and it will allow the staff to serve only the amount of food that the students ask for. You
cannot eliminate the amount of food wasted due to students taking more than they can eat and
throwing the rest away, but the leftover food that is made by the staff will be greatly reduced.
Another solution to the problem of food waste is to adopt a program or initiative that another
university has already adopted that will allow the reduction of food waste. Most universities have
tried to go from using trays to using plates, while others have switched out the style of their
cafeteria from buffet to made to order. By starting a program that monitors the amount of food
wasted on campus, and then monitors the staff so that less food is produced, students could
reduce food waste. This is a possible solution because overproduction of food is the main cause
of food waste. Universities have adopted initiatives to control the amount of food produced on
campus, while others have adopted similar programs to the Food Recovery Network, where the
leftover food is used instead of wasted. By adopting a program that has been used by a different
university, or creating a new program altogether, students may be able to reduce food waste on
campus.

Criteria
The solution for the problem of excess food waste on college campuses was determined by
assessing the cost, availability of resources, and liability issues.
Cost
The decision chosen to reduce food waste on college campuses must be cost effective. Billions of
dollars are thrown away due to food waste every year, so the program chosen to condense the
amount of food waste must not be too expensive. By adopting the Food Recovery Network idea,
money to startup the process will be provided, allowing the students to get the program going
before having to fundraise for funds. Changing the style of the cafeterias might prove to be
difficult; the change can be seen as a good and as a bad switch and whether or not the college
wants to make that large of a change is not always simple. Adopting other programs will require
fundraising to start up the program, meaning that students will have to start with no money and
raise up the funds in order to begin their program instead of having an official sponsor.
Resources
The ability to have available resources to help with whichever plan chosen is dependent on not
only monetary items but also physical volunteers and time. Since the project is focused on
college campuses, the volunteers will most likely be college students. This is a large factor when
making a decision on how to solve the problem because the solution has to be one that benefits
the college student. By adopting the Food Recovery Network idea, students can complete service
hours by redistributing the food to food kitchens, which will prove to be beneficial for them.
Changing the style can be desirable but also less desirable as well. Students who are running late
to class and need a quick meal will not want to wait the extra time it takes to receive their made
to order food. Other programs may also provide volunteer services that will also be beneficial to
the students and it may allow them to have a greater control on what they can and cannot eat in
terms of food options.
Liability Issues
The new program will not be able to smoothly replace the current system; it will take some time.
It will also require a lot of discussion on what is and is not allowed. This leaves room for all the
liability issues the plan might face. The Food Recovery Network is an upstanding organization
that has already been approved in several cities, meaning the ability to get the Food Recovery
Network running on Wayne States campus will not prove to be a large obstacle. By changing the
style of the cafeterias, there is no large liability issues, but this may cause the school to change
their layout due to the shift which leads to money problems and then the discussion on how
much money should be allowed for the project. By adopting another program, the campus might
have to get permission with the original campus who adopted the program to see whether or not
they can create a second group, which may cause some issues in terms of liabilities.

Recommendation
After reviewing my research, I have found that the most reasonable solution to the food waste
problem on college campuses is to work with the Food Recovery Network to take the food that
would be otherwise wasted and instead repackage it and redistribute it to those in need. If Wayne
State has a student run organization that worked to reduce food waste on campus, they could go
to several local food banks and donate food. A lot of the leftover food could be prevented from
being wasted. A few years ago, Wayne State University got rid of the trays in the cafeterias and
opted for simply using plates instead. However, even though the trays were gone, there was still
almost the same amount of food waste. If this organization worked with Dining Services, a lot of
the leftover food would be able to feed hungry people in Detroit.
Wayne States chapter of the Food Recovery Network is in its infantile stages, meaning the
group can either work really well or break apart due to lack of volunteers and resources. Food
Recovery Network is one of the largest student run movement against food waste and hunger in
America. The organization began at University of Maryland and has spread to 160 chapters
since. The organization has a history of success with what it does, making it a good organization
to start at Wayne State. The organization also provides new chapters with a $500 grant in order to
start up. This grant can be used to pay for the materials needed, such as aluminum pans and lids,
to package the food in. This makes staring the organization at a new college much easier and cost
less of an issue.
By reading over the criteria and assessing the importance of doing something with food waste
instead of simply throwing it away, redistributing the leftovers to local food kitchens will not
only reduce the problem of food waste due to college campuses, but will help the local hungry
people, with a focus on Detroit, which proves that this solution will be the most effective.

Works Cited
Adams, J., Collier, K., Drogue, S., & Hindi, S. (2015). Integrating Alternative Dining Options on
Wayne State's Campus. Retrieved April 2, 2016, from
http://2wayne3050.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/95617730/final report on Aramark.pdf
EPA. (2007). Turning Food Waste into Energy at the East Bay Municipal Utility District
(EBMUD). Retrieved April 2, 2016, from
http://www3.epa.gov/region9/waste/features/foodtoenergy/food-waste.html
Food Recovery Network. Our Success [Online Image].
Retrieved from http://www.foodrecoverynetwork.org/blog/
Gustavsson, J., Cederberg, C., Sonesson, U., Van Otterdijk, R., & Meybeck, A. (2011). Global
food losses and food waste. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,
Rom.
Key facts on food loss and waste you should know. Retrieved March 29, 2016, from
http://www.fao.org/save-food/resources/keyfindings/en/
Poon, L. (2015, March 3). When Food Is Too Good to Waste, College Kids Pick Up the Scraps.
Retrieved April 9, 2016, from
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/02/27/389284061/when-food-is-too-good-towaste-college-kids-pick-up-the-scraps
The Campus Kitchens Project. Food Waste [Online image]. Retrieved April 14, 2016 from
http://www.campuskitchens.org/food-waste/
Tufts University. Food Waste [Online Image]. Retrieved April 14, 2016 from
http://operations.tufts.edu/tuftsrecycles/recycling-info/food-waste/
Wei, J. (2013, September 18). New Report: Food Expiration Date Confusion Causing up to 90%
of Americans to Waste Food. Retrieved April 11, 2016, from
http://www.nrdc.org/media/2013/130918.asp