Maximum nutrition, minimum waste: evaluation of an on-campus ‘root-to-tip’ dining intervention in a UK higher education institution

The aim of this pilot study was to explore perceptions and factors influencing the acceptance of ‘root-to-tip’ dining, whereby fruit and vegetable components typically discarded during food preparation are incorporated into meals to reduce edible food waste generation and potentially increase dietary fibre intake. A 9-week pilot study to evaluate a signposted ‘root-to-tip’ menu was launched in foodservice outlets in a UK higher education institution. Anonymous online consumer survey and electronic point-of-sale data were collected from staff and students purchasing meals at participating university foodservice outlets. Over the 9-week study period, ‘root-to-tip’ dishes represented 36.6% of total daily hot menu sales. ‘Root-to-tip’ preparation resulted in an average waste saving and fibre increase per serving of 6.5% and 5.1% respectively. Self-reported plate waste was higher for ‘root-to-tip’ dishes (4.5% vs 2.7%, p=0.007), driven by lower rates of plate clearance (p=0.006). Overall, 62.4% of survey respondents purchasing a daily hot food menu item selected ‘root-to-tip’ dishes (n=270). Taste and health were the most important purchase drivers. Dish satisfaction varied significantly for health (p=0.02), with ‘root-to-tip’ dishes rated more highly, but not sensory factors. Meal selection was influenced by rated importance of health (p=0.003) and familiarity (p<0.001), rated more and less important by ‘root-to-tip’ respondents respectively, but not sustainability. Despite labelling, consumer awareness of the ‘root-to-tip’ campaign was limited (28.6%). This study’s findings support ‘root-to-tip’ dining as a viable strategy to prevent food waste generation and address low dietary fibre intakes and provides foundational data for further rigorous testing in foodservice and other settings.