Cutting Down on Food Waste

Many college campuses have experimented with a “no-tray” dining policy. Essentially this means that cafeterias or other dining facilities will not make trays available to students. Although this may seem inconvenient, it is a very effective way to cut down on food waste. Up to about 50% in fact! It seems students have a tendency to try to fill up the space on their tray when they have one available, even if they know that they won’t eat all of it.

And who can forget the famous “Freshman 15?” Even if the food isn’t thrown in the trash, it being thrown into unwitting freshmen’s bellies is hardly better. Cutting down on food waste does not imply that we should consume everything we put on our plate even if we got way too much. The idea is to not put as much on our plates in the first place.

Picture two people, with both of their plates loaded high with two slices of pizza, nachos, a hamburger, and some fries. They sit down next to each other. The first only makes it through one slice of pizza and, feeling quite full, proceeds over to place his plate on the conveyer belt. The remaining slice of pizza and untouched nachos, hamburger, and fries slowly slide into the dish room. The second student sits there dutifully eating every ounce that was stacked on his plate until it is all gone! He walks over to the belt, leaves the spotless plate, and with head held high proudly exits the cafeteria. Now you tell me… who helped the starving children in China more? Did the second student need everything that he ate? Who wasted more?

The Japanese have a practice that we might find very useful. I encourage you to try it! It is called “Hara Hachi Bu.” This means to only eat until 80% full. And as they mention in the linked article, this does not mean to leave 20% of your meal on your plate. Rather only get “almost” enough food to be full. And resist the urge for seconds once you have finished!

No Tray Policy

http://flathatnews.com/content/beyond-burg-colleges-experiment-"no-tray"-dining-halls

Hara Hachi Bu

http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2007/06/one-secret-to-a.html