Food waste and associated carbon footprint: evidence from Chinese universities

In recent years, there has been widespread concern regarding the carbon footprint (CF) of food waste due to the key impact of CF on climate change, particularly as China's food waste is rising with its economic development. China has the largest scale of higher education in the world, and the a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecosystem health and sustainability 2022-12, Vol.8 (1)
Main Authors: Qian, Long, Rao, Qingling, Liu, Hongbo, McCarthy, Breda, Liu, Li Xian, Wang, Lingen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Carbon
Carbon footprint
China
Climate change
Colleges & universities
Economic development
Education
Environmental impact
Food
Food waste
Footprint analysis
plate waste
university canteens
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Summary:In recent years, there has been widespread concern regarding the carbon footprint (CF) of food waste due to the key impact of CF on climate change, particularly as China's food waste is rising with its economic development. China has the largest scale of higher education in the world, and the amount of food waste in university canteens is considerable and cannot be ignored. This study attempts to assess the carbon footprint (CF) of food waste at Chinese universities for the first time based on a national survey. It is estimated that 1.55 million tons of food were wasted in Chinese university canteens in 2018, based on 9,192 samples covering 29 provinces in China. The associated CF was 2.51 Mt CO2eq. The top two food categories contributing to the total CF were meat and grains, accounting for 46.28% and 36.52%, respectively. Furthermore, the location of the university was significantly associated with the CF of plate waste. It also indicated that household income, meal satisfaction, sex, education, meal days, and food-saving campaigns were important factors influencing the CF of food waste. This study highlights areas that can help reduce the environmental impact of plate waste. It also provides targeted measures to reduce the associated CF of food waste in Chinese universities.
ISSN:2096-4129
2332-8878
DOI:10.1080/20964129.2022.2130094