The aim was to investigate factors contributing to food wastage by Stellenbosch University (SU) students in selected residences, and to determine the attitudes and practices of students and catering personnel impacting on food waste and a sustainable environment.

A single intervention such as having a nutritionally regulated tuck shop at a primary school cannot advance the healthy school food environment in its totality. A multi-pronged approach is recommended and awareness must be created among all role players, including parents who are responsible for preparing lunchboxes.

BackgroundIn developing countries like Uganda, the human right to adequate food (RtAF) is inextricably linked to access to land for households to feed themselves directly through production or means for its procurement. Whether RtAF is enjoyed among Ugandan land evictees, is unknown. We therefore explored this among land evictees (rights-holders) in Wakiso and Mpigi districts in rural Central Uganda. We assessed food accessibility and related coping strategies, diet quality and nutritional status of children 6–59 months old, and their caregivers. Effectiveness of the complaint and redress mechanisms in addressing RtAF violations was also explored.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, quantitative data was collected using a structured questionnaire, with food security and nutritional assessment methods from a total of 215 land evictees including 187 children aged 6–59 months. Qualitative data was collected by reviewing selected national and international documents on the RtAF and key informant interviews with 15 purposively sampled duty-bearers. These included individuals or representatives of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, Resident District Commissioner, Sub-county Chiefs, and local Council leaders.ResultsWe found that 78% of land evictees had insufficient access to food while 69.4% had consumed a less diversified diet. A majority of evictees (85.2%) relied on borrowing food or help from others to cope with food shortages. Of the 187 children assessed, 9.6% were wasted, 18.2% were underweight and 34.2% were stunted. Small, but significant associations, were found between food accessibility, diet quality, food insecurity coping strategies; and the nutritional status of evictees. We observed that administrative, quasi-judicial and judicial mechanisms to provide adequate legal remedies regarding violations of the RtAF among evictees in Uganda are in place, but not effective in doing so.ConclusionLand eviction without adequate legal remedies is a contributor to food insecurity and undernutrition in rural Central Uganda. It is essential that the Government strengthens and enforces the policy and legal environment to ensure adequate and timely compensation of evictees in order to reduce their vulnerability to food insecurity.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12914-018-0162-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background. In response to the challenge of the global health needs of the 21st century, four academic institutions in Norway, South Africa and Uganda, each offering a Master's degree in nutrition, collaboratively developed the NOrwegian MAsters (NOMA) track module on nutrition, human rights and governance, integrating a human rights-based approach into graduate education in nutrition. Objective. To capture students' perceptions about the NOMA track module, focusing on the development of key competencies. Methods. Employing a qualitative approach, 20 (91% response rate) in-depth telephonic interviews were conducted with participating students, voice recorded and transcribed. Through an inductive process, emerging themes were used to compile a code list for content analysis of the transcribed text. Relevant themes were reported according to the professionals' roles described by the CanMEDS competency framework. Results. Participation in the module enhanced key competencies in the students, e.g. communication skills and the adoption of a holistic approach to interaction with people or communities. Their role as collaborator was enhanced by their learning to embrace diversity and cultural differences and similarities. Students had to adapt to different cultures and educational systems. They were inspired to contribute in diverse contexts and act as agents for change in the organisations in which they may work or act as leaders or co-ordinators during interaction with community groups and policy makers. Higher education institutions offering transnational modules should support lecturers to manage the inherent diversity in the classroom as a way of enhancing student performance. Conclusion. The development of future transprofessional modules will benefit from the inclusion of desirable key competencies as part of the module outcomes by following a competency by design process.

To obtain a better understanding of feeding difficulties experienced by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methodology: Parents/caregivers (n = 325) of children (3-16 years) diagnosed with ASD living in England participated in an online questionnaire investigating early feeding history, food preferences and mealtime environment. Results: The most common feeding problem was the transition from weaning foods to textured food. Food appearance mainly determined food acceptance with over half the children (n = 152) being specific about the colour of their food. Nearly 65% (n = 191) were particular about food presentation, including specific brands and food packaging. Sensory attributes and texture of food affected food acceptance. There were clear preferences for crunchy or dry foods, followed by food with a smooth consistency. Nearly 80% (n = 223) repeatedly chose the same foods from a limited range. For specific food groups, the clear favourite among the study population was refined carbohydrates (64.4%, n = 186). A large proportion of children had tactile sensitivity, where 60% (n = 176) disliked having their hands/face dirty. Over 70% (n = 205) of children disliked strong odours, indicating the importance of the sensory attributes to food and the mealtime environment. Less than 40% (n = 108) of children were seen by a dietitian and the most common concern was the limited variety of foods and dietary intake. Conclusion: The study highlighted the need for nutritional monitoring and intervention where long-term idiosyncratic feeding behaviour may contribute to nutritional deficiencies.

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