Best practices for making the university campus a supportive environment for healthy and sustainable diets

Franchini, Cinzia; Biasini, Beatrice; Rosi, Alice; Scazzina, Francesca

doi:10.1016/j.coesh.2022.100436

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…This includes promoting plant-based alternatives like pulses as part of healthy diets. Interventions could be carried out by local communities that participate in shaping students’ food environments such as university catering ( 59 ). According to the present study, a large number of students rely on the university food system as they regularly eat at university catering facilities (54%) and/or live in university accommodations (26%).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of three dietary groups in French university students and their associations with nutritional quality and environmental impact

Arrazat,

Nicklaus,

de Lauzon-Guillain

et al. 2023

Front. Nutr.

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IntroductionThe student period is associated with changes in eating habits, usually leading to diets of lower nutritional quality. However, some variability may exist in students’ dietary patterns. We aimed to describe French students’ diets and identify dietary groups that may vary in nutritional quality and environmental impact.MethodsA representative sample of French students (N = 582) for age, sex and scholarship status completed an online 125-item food frequency questionnaire. The nutritional quality of diets was assessed by a score of adherence to the French nutritional guidelines (sPNNS-GS2 score, ranging from−17 to 11.5) and its environmental impact by greenhouse gas emissions for an isocaloric diet (GHGE). An ascending hierarchical classification analysis on food and beverage intakes led to three dietary groups. Between-group differences in food consumption, dietary indicators and sociodemographic characteristics were investigated using ANOVA models.ResultsThe average sPNNS-GS2 score of students’ diets was −0.8 ± 2.8, representing a 57% coverage of French nutritional recommendations, and GHGE were 5.4 ± 1.7 kg eCO2/2000 kcal. The three dietary groups were: a healthy diet group (20% of the sample) with the highest nutritional quality and high GHGE, which included older students with a higher level of physical activity; a Western diet group (40%) with the worst nutritional quality and high GHGE, which included more students who lived with their parents; and a frugal diet group (40%) with the lowest energy intake, intermediate nutritional quality, and low GHGE, which included more students who lived alone.ConclusionNone of the dietary groups optimized both nutritional quality and environmental impact simultaneously, which suggests an apparent incompatibility in the student population between these two sustainability dimensions. These findings emphasize the need for tailored public health policies that acknowledge the diversity of student eating patterns and address specific individual barriers to healthy and sustainable diets.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of three dietary groups in French university students and their associations with nutritional quality and environmental impact

Arrazat,

Nicklaus,

de Lauzon-Guillain

et al. 2023

Front. Nutr.

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“…For instance, this issue is recognized in the United Nations 2030 Agenda in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12, which aims to "ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns" [3]. As educational institutions, universities have a responsibility to address this sustainability-related issue and may have a crucial role in assessing its causes and creating effective approaches to mitigate its noxious effects [1,4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inadequacy of Meals Served and Food Waste in a Portuguese University Canteen

Silva,

Pereira,

Marques

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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This study aims to evaluate food waste and the adequacy of portions served in a Portuguese university canteen. The sample included 10278 meals. Portions served and food waste (plate waste and leftovers) were measured through physical weighing. Portion inadequacy was determined, considering the Dietary Reference Values proposed by the European Food Safety Authority. The portions of all meal components served were inadequate. Meat, fish, salads and vegetables were those in the most inadequate portions (p < 0.001), with the quantities of meat and fish served being well above the recommended level (+77%) and the quantities of salad and vegetables below the recommended level (−37.7%). During the study period, 1253.6 kg of food was wasted, representing a daily average of 65.9 kg of food waste (20.8%). It was estimated that 126.6 g of food was wasted per consumer per day. Salads and vegetables represented the food category with high food waste values (41.4%), mainly from plate waste (29.6%). Our findings show an inadequacy in terms of the portions served for all meal components. High food waste values were found, for vegetable soup, vegetables, salads and fruit; these were the items most rejected by consumers, compromising the achievement of nutritional goals for the lunches served in the university canteen.

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“…Among young adults, college students often eat their meals in dining halls. For this reason, dining services represent a strategic venue for the implementation of interventions to ensure healthy and sustainable diets for young populations, with the goal of preventing long-term health risks while simultaneously reducing the pressure and impact of food systems on the environment [ 29 , 30 , 31 ]. One of the most light-touch and low-cost nudge interventions is to change the layout of the menu by changing dishes’ descriptions or, more simply, rearranging their positions [ 32 , 33 ], by taking advantage of people’s innate gaze-motion and memory tendencies [ 34 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing the Consumption of Environmentally Friendly Foods in a University Dining Hall Using Menu Item Placement

Franchini,

Bartolotto,

Scazzina

et al. 2023

Nutrients

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Creating a decision-making environment that promotes sustainable food choices is a priority for both the individual and society. This study aimed at encouraging plant-based menu choices by re-ordering the menu according to the carbon footprint values. The project was conducted in a grab-and-go eatery at a large United States public university, where students could order their meals choosing among different menu options that were customizable with various ingredients. The order of menu ingredients was changed twice: for five weeks, from the most to the least impactful in terms of carbon footprint; subsequently, for another five weeks the order was reversed. At both times, all sales data were recorded. A total of 279,219 and 288,527 items were selected, respectively, during the first and the second intervention. A significant association was found between menu re-ordering and customers’ choices for almost all food categories considered. Overall, despite beef choices not changing, results showed that students were more likely to choose low-carbon options when these were placed at the beginning, emphasizing that food selections were impacted by ingredient placement on the menu list. These findings highlight the need for a multi-level strategy focused on raising students’ awareness of the environmental impact of animal-based foods, particularly beef.

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Best practices for making the university campus a supportive environment for healthy and sustainable diets

Cited by 4 publications

References 30 publications

Identification of three dietary groups in French university students and their associations with nutritional quality and environmental impact

Identification of three dietary groups in French university students and their associations with nutritional quality and environmental impact

Inadequacy of Meals Served and Food Waste in a Portuguese University Canteen

Increasing the Consumption of Environmentally Friendly Foods in a University Dining Hall Using Menu Item Placement

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