Food waste poses a significant challenge to sustainable food systems and carries far-reaching economic, environmental, and public health consequences (1) . ‘Root-to-tip’ dining, which incorporates edible parts of the plant which are typically discarded (e.g., fruit and vegetable peels and stalks), provides a promising solution to reduce waste, reduce environmental impact and further support better health and nutrition (2,3) . Following the launch of ‘Root-to-tip’ menu items in a UK higher education food service setting, this study aimed to investigate consumer attitudes and perceptions of ‘root-to-tip’ dining. A cross-sectional study was conducted using data collected via an anonymous online survey, amongst a convenience sample of current students and employees who had purchased both ‘root-to-tip’ and non-‘root-to-tip’ meals at campus dining outlets between 28 April and 27 June 2025. The survey captured meal selection and factors influencing meal choice; awareness, post-consumption perceptions of and satisfaction with dishes; plate waste generation; and demographic data. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s Chi-squared test were performed to identify associations between meal selection and, food characteristics, demographic and psychographic factors. The research protocol was approved by the King’s College London Research Ethics Committee (Ref: LRS/DP-24/25-47050). A total of 727 participants (60.2% female) provided complete responses, primarily aged 26-45 years (47.2%). Among the respondents that selected ’root-to-tip’ menu items (38.1%) (61.9% selected non-’root-to-tip’ menu items), taste (89.5%) and health (70.8%) were rated the most important, while visual appearance (64.6%) and affordability (54.5%) were rated the second most important. Taste (93.4%), visual appeal (92.1%), smell (91.4%) and healthiness (93.8%) received the highest satisfaction scores post-consumption, while sustainability (91.7%) received the second highest satisfaction scores. Most respondents that chose ‘root-to-tip’ dishes (75.8%) reported that they would be highly likely to eat their meal again. A total of 110 participants provided responses for plate waste analysis and 58.2% reported between 76-100% of food to be consumed. Meal selection was significantly influenced by taste (ꭓ2=10.63, p=0.031), visual appearance (ꭓ2=10.63, p=0.037), affordability (ꭓ2=16.45, p=0.002), familiarity (ꭓ2=35.52, p<0.001, 23.8% importance rating), health (ꭓ2=15.11, p=0.004, 70.8% importance rating), novelty (ꭓ2=24.70, p<0.001, 34.7% importance rating) and profession (ꭓ2=17.99, p=0.006). Satisfaction was significantly associated with sustainability (X2 =10.18, p=0.037), visual appeal (ꭓ2=29.49, p=0.004), and value for money (ꭓ2=21.01, p<0.001, 57.0% satisfaction rating). Repeat consumption was significantly associated with satisfaction (ꭓ2=22.43, p<0.001). This study advances research on consumer responses to food waste ingredients, in particular peels and stalks, highlighting taste, health, affordability, and sustainability as key acceptance drivers. Findings provide practical insights for institutional catering and public health initiatives to reduce food waste through consumer engagement and behaviour change.
Glover et al. (Fri,) studied this question.