Food Waste in Chilean Preschools
Author Information
Author(s): Ximena Rodríguez Palleres, Claudio Villota Arcos, Álvaro Toledo San Martín, Fancy Rojas González, Juan Manuel Castagnini
Primary Institution: Universidad de Valencia, Bernardo O’Higgins University
Hypothesis
What percentage of fruit and vegetable waste occurs during food preparation in preschools?
Conclusion
Preschools with environmental quality certifications do not significantly reduce overall food waste, particularly for fruits.
Supporting Evidence
- Vegetable loss exceeded 20% in 31% of the preschools.
- 75% of fruit losses were attributed to pears.
- Preschools with environmental quality certifications wasted less onions but more pears.
Takeaway
This study looked at how much fruit and vegetable waste happens in preschools in Chile, finding that a lot of food is wasted, especially fruit.
Methodology
Cross-sectional, observational study measuring food waste over five days in four preschools.
Potential Biases
Potential bias in data collection due to the small sample size and specific location.
Limitations
The study only included four preschools in one area of Chile, limiting generalizability.
Participant Demographics
Preschools located in the Metropolitan area of Santiago, Chile.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p = 0.016 for onions, p = 0.036 for pears
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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