Table 7. Theme-based gaps and related... | Emerald Publishing

Table 7.

Theme-based gaps and related potential research questions

Theme	Gaps	Potential research questions (RQs)
Drivers of food waste	Food waste in university food services is under-explored both at the pre- and post-consumer stages Food waste in school food services is under-researched at the pre-consumer level. The behavioural aspects helping increase or reduce food waste have remained confined mainly to norms regarding and attitudes towards waste, with various factors (e.g. preferences, willingness to take home leftovers, the tendency to over-order, shopping routine and table manners) remaining ignored by scholars The focus of school food service studies has been the nutritional aspect of meal consumption, with food waste just serving to assess nutritional loss There is very little information about the number and types of food service establishments in educational institutions or about the level of importance of such establishments in schools/universities, which limits the contextual insights about food waste Limited studies have delved into the role of parents in controlling the food waste of young children	Does the lack of a system for tracking food waste increase the same at the production level? Does the food service establishment under consideration consider the gender and age of consumers when deciding fixed portion sizes versus serving meals buffet style? To what extent do faulty inventory planning, procurement practices and menu composition contribute to food wastage in school catering? Does the availability of competitive foods such as fries, fast food and sodas affect the shopping routine and consequent waste in the pay-and-eat food service establishments in educational institutions? Does the number of food service establishments or their type affect the food waste generated in educational institutions? What are the differences between the antecedents of food waste by children in school and the antecedents of food waste in food service establishments outside schools in the presence of parents?
Quantitative assessment of food waste	In spite of their cost-effectiveness, visual plate wastage methods are not used as much as the weighed plate waste method Most prior studies have measured food waste for a limited duration, ranging from three days to two weeks Food waste audits are an important way of assessing food waste, but only a few studies have conducted food waste audits Limited studies have discussed the methods of quantifying food waste that are being used by educational institutions, which limits the insights about the ground realities concerning the efforts to quantify and control food waste	Is there a substantial difference between the food waste measurement using visual methods (photograph, half waste and quarter waste) and the weighted plate waste method? Does the quantity of food waste in school and university food service establishments change with the change in seasons? What is the difference in the quantity of food wasted at the production, serving and plate levels after the introduction of food waste tracking systems in food service establishments in educational institutions? Will measuring plate waste in grams present a better picture of plate waste, or is it better to express it in percentage terms (meaning serving size)? Are educational institutions effectively using existing food waste quantification methods to provide inputs for food waste control?
Assessment of the behavioural aspects of food waste	Few studies have tried to understand the behaviour of consumers, even though behaviour is a major cause of food waste, particularly in developed countries Demographic inputs, particularly ethnographic insights on the propensity to waste food, are limited in the past literature, even though researchers consider them important	What are the pro-environmental drivers of food waste reduction behaviour that may help with the formulation of effective food waste reduction strategies? What is the relationship between the cultural practices of a place/nation and food waste? How important are hedonic enjoyment, personal norms, guilt, social influence and greed in promoting/reducing food waste-related behaviours?
Operational strategies for reducing food waste	Few studies have discussed the mapping and assessment of the potential benefits of initiating waste reduction measures at the micro level of the food service establishment Few studies have discussed food waste in terms of the emission costs associated with the consumption of food items and the consequent effect on food waste-related emissions Limited studies have tested the efficacy of the introduction of waste reduction approaches such as tasting, allowing food sharing, caretaker supervision and younger consumers’ self-selection of food items Limited case studies have observed the practical measures schools and universities have used to reduce food waste and to report the observations of these	Apart from the apparent implication of obtaining cost savings through reduced food waste, what are the other potential benefits of food waste reduction that can motivate food service establishments to reduce their food waste at the pre-consumer level? What is the likely effect of reducing the content of relatively high-emission foods such as proteins and meats in a meal and compensating for these with a higher amount of low-emission foods on the nutrition and satisfaction of consumers in educational institutions? How useful and effective are food waste reduction strategies based on saving leftovers and sharing food during lunch in educational institutions? What is the efficacy of the food waste reduction measures that educational institutions currently use?
Interventions for inducing behavioural changes to mitigate food waste	Most of the studies that have discussed interventions have tested the efficacy of only one or two interventions and have not compared the effectiveness of the different interventions discussed There is a limited understanding of how financial incentives to reduce food waste should integrate with ways of promoting healthy eating behaviours to avoid obesity and non-nutritional calorie intake	Are informative and educational posters more effective in reducing food waste in schools than a nutritional and educational course offered once a year? What are the practical approaches to offering financial incentives to reduce food waste without promoting obsessive cleaning of the plate and the resultant obesity issues?
Food diversion and food waste disposal processes	There are very few studies that have discussed the waste sorting systems used in food service establishments in educational institutions Very little knowledge is available in the literature about edible food recovery approaches and the diversion of recovered edible food to consumption through charity and donation Leftover lunch service appears a viable food diversion option in an educational setting, yet only one study has examined it, and in a limited context, at that	What are the operational and functional issues in implementing a waste-sorting system in food service establishments in educational institutions? What are the enablers and barriers that food service establishments may encounter in their efforts to divert food waste to food-insecure students? What is the feasibility of initiating a leftover lunch service in school and university cafeterias daily?
Barriers to the implementation of food waste reduction strategies	There is a lack of understanding of the intention–attitude gap that may act as a barrier to the success of food waste prevention interventions No study has discussed the behavioural aspects of food waste in terms of the resistance offered against strategies initiated to mitigate such waste	What are the moderating influences that are likely to increase or decrease the attitude–intention gap? What are the roles of health consciousness, hygiene consciousness, food safety concerns and habits in increasing consumer resistance to food waste reduction strategies?

Theme	Gaps	Potential research questions (RQs)
Drivers of food waste	Food waste in university food services is under-explored both at the pre- and post-consumer stagesFood waste in school food services is under-researched at the pre-consumer level.The behavioural aspects helping increase or reduce food waste have remained confined mainly to norms regarding and attitudes towards waste, with various factors (e.g. preferences, willingness to take home leftovers, the tendency to over-order, shopping routine and table manners) remaining ignored by scholarsThe focus of school food service studies has been the nutritional aspect of meal consumption, with food waste just serving to assess nutritional lossThere is very little information about the number and types of food service establishments in educational institutions or about the level of importance of such establishments in schools/universities, which limits the contextual insights about food wasteLimited studies have delved into the role of parents in controlling the food waste of young children	Does the lack of a system for tracking food waste increase the same at the production level?Does the food service establishment under consideration consider the gender and age of consumers when deciding fixed portion sizes versus serving meals buffet style?To what extent do faulty inventory planning, procurement practices and menu composition contribute to food wastage in school catering?Does the availability of competitive foods such as fries, fast food and sodas affect the shopping routine and consequent waste in the pay-and-eat food service establishments in educational institutions?Does the number of food service establishments or their type affect the food waste generated in educational institutions?What are the differences between the antecedents of food waste by children in school and the antecedents of food waste in food service establishments outside schools in the presence of parents?
Quantitative assessment of food waste	In spite of their cost-effectiveness, visual plate wastage methods are not used as much as the weighed plate waste methodMost prior studies have measured food waste for a limited duration, ranging from three days to two weeksFood waste audits are an important way of assessing food waste, but only a few studies have conducted food waste auditsLimited studies have discussed the methods of quantifying food waste that are being used by educational institutions, which limits the insights about the ground realities concerning the efforts to quantify and control food waste	Is there a substantial difference between the food waste measurement using visual methods (photograph, half waste and quarter waste) and the weighted plate waste method?Does the quantity of food waste in school and university food service establishments change with the change in seasons?What is the difference in the quantity of food wasted at the production, serving and plate levels after the introduction of food waste tracking systems in food service establishments in educational institutions?Will measuring plate waste in grams present a better picture of plate waste, or is it better to express it in percentage terms (meaning serving size)?Are educational institutions effectively using existing food waste quantification methods to provide inputs for food waste control?
Assessment of the behavioural aspects of food waste	Few studies have tried to understand the behaviour of consumers, even though behaviour is a major cause of food waste, particularly in developed countriesDemographic inputs, particularly ethnographic insights on the propensity to waste food, are limited in the past literature, even though researchers consider them important	What are the pro-environmental drivers of food waste reduction behaviour that may help with the formulation of effective food waste reduction strategies?What is the relationship between the cultural practices of a place/nation and food waste?How important are hedonic enjoyment, personal norms, guilt, social influence and greed in promoting/reducing food waste-related behaviours?
Operational strategies for reducing food waste	Few studies have discussed the mapping and assessment of the potential benefits of initiating waste reduction measures at the micro level of the food service establishmentFew studies have discussed food waste in terms of the emission costs associated with the consumption of food items and the consequent effect on food waste-related emissionsLimited studies have tested the efficacy of the introduction of waste reduction approaches such as tasting, allowing food sharing, caretaker supervision and younger consumers’ self-selection of food itemsLimited case studies have observed the practical measures schools and universities have used to reduce food waste and to report the observations of these	Apart from the apparent implication of obtaining cost savings through reduced food waste, what are the other potential benefits of food waste reduction that can motivate food service establishments to reduce their food waste at the pre-consumer level?What is the likely effect of reducing the content of relatively high-emission foods such as proteins and meats in a meal and compensating for these with a higher amount of low-emission foods on the nutrition and satisfaction of consumers in educational institutions?How useful and effective are food waste reduction strategies based on saving leftovers and sharing food during lunch in educational institutions?What is the efficacy of the food waste reduction measures that educational institutions currently use?
Interventions for inducing behavioural changes to mitigate food waste	Most of the studies that have discussed interventions have tested the efficacy of only one or two interventions and have not compared the effectiveness of the different interventions discussedThere is a limited understanding of how financial incentives to reduce food waste should integrate with ways of promoting healthy eating behaviours to avoid obesity and non-nutritional calorie intake	Are informative and educational posters more effective in reducing food waste in schools than a nutritional and educational course offered once a year?What are the practical approaches to offering financial incentives to reduce food waste without promoting obsessive cleaning of the plate and the resultant obesity issues?
Food diversion and food waste disposal processes	There are very few studies that have discussed the waste sorting systems used in food service establishments in educational institutionsVery little knowledge is available in the literature about edible food recovery approaches and the diversion of recovered edible food to consumption through charity and donationLeftover lunch service appears a viable food diversion option in an educational setting, yet only one study has examined it, and in a limited context, at that	What are the operational and functional issues in implementing a waste-sorting system in food service establishments in educational institutions?What are the enablers and barriers that food service establishments may encounter in their efforts to divert food waste to food-insecure students?What is the feasibility of initiating a leftover lunch service in school and university cafeterias daily?
Barriers to the implementation of food waste reduction strategies	There is a lack of understanding of the intention–attitude gap that may act as a barrier to the success of food waste prevention interventionsNo study has discussed the behavioural aspects of food waste in terms of the resistance offered against strategies initiated to mitigate such waste	What are the moderating influences that are likely to increase or decrease the attitude–intention gap?What are the roles of health consciousness, hygiene consciousness, food safety concerns and habits in increasing consumer resistance to food waste reduction strategies?