Relationship Between Plate Waste and Food Preferences Among Primary School Students Aged 7-10 Years

Abstract

Objective: To assess differences in the amount of plate waste (PW) and food preferences among food categories containing vegetables and fruit and which of the student-centered reasons may influence PW.

Design: A cross-sectional study (from December, 2017 to June, 2018); the aggregate selective plate waste method; the taste-and-rate method (food preferences); the multiple-choice survey (student-centered reasons for the PW occurrence).

Setting: Fourteen primary schools (Zagreb).

Participants: Students aged 7-10 years; 17,163 meals (PW); 11,960 meals (PW and food preferences for meals containing vegetables and fruit); 6,507 meals (student-centered factors).

Main outcome measures: Plate waste, preferences, and student-centered reasons for PW occurrence.

Analysis: Continuous and categorical data were analyzed using a 1-way analysis of variance for nonnormal distribution with post hoc Dunnett's test and chi-square test of homogeneity, respectively. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was performed to examine the correlation between the amount of PW and served food. All statistical analyses were constructed with robust standard errors clustered at the school level.

Results: Among the different types of vegetables and fruit meals, students wasted lower amounts of fruit (10.3%; P = 0.005). Plate waste was positively correlated with the amount of served food (r = 0.93; P < 0.001) containing vegetables and fruit. Students preferred fruit and starchy food with vegetables. Among personal factors for not finishing meals, the most frequent reason was they did not like the taste of the food.

Conclusion and implications: Findings highlight the importance of food preferences and other student-centered reasons in explaining PW by primary school students.

Keywords: food preferences; fruit; plate waste; school lunch; vegetable.