Quantitative and qualitative analysis of food waste in a Finnish daycare center
Don Samarasekara Karunarathna, Nikitha Hansini (2025)
2025
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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025121637234
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025121637234
Tiivistelmä
Food waste is an environmental and economic problem in Finland as well as world. Finnish daycare centres, schools and public food service places also contribute to this problem. This thesis is analysing the underlying causes for food waste in a daycare center in Finland by using mixed method approach. Quantitative data were collected over a one-month period by measuring plate waste, serving waste, and kitchen waste from five children’s groups. Qualitative results were obtained through a staff questionnaire focusing on serving prac-tices, portioning, menu acceptance, and ongoing challenges.
The quantitative findings showed that 47% of all food prepared was wasted, with serving waste, plate waste and very little kitchen waste. High serving waste was connected to over-preparation, incorrect forecasting, severe food-safety laws restricting reuse, and unexpected child absences. Children's in-tense distaste for some foods, particularly vegetables, which were named by all respondents as the most commonly uneaten food group, was the primary cause of plate waste.
Qualitative research also revealed gaps in communication between kitchen and childcare personnel, limited menu flexibility, and inadequate planning as im-portant contributors to waste. The study concludes that better meal forecasting, staff training, menu planning, and mealtime procedures are necessary for effi-cient waste reduction. Waste volumes can be considerably reduced by imple-menting techniques including child centered portioning, improved eating condi-tions, sensory-based food education, and increased kitchen staff collaboration. In addition to improving the environment, reducing food waste will help munici-palities save money and encourage young children to eat sustainably.
The quantitative findings showed that 47% of all food prepared was wasted, with serving waste, plate waste and very little kitchen waste. High serving waste was connected to over-preparation, incorrect forecasting, severe food-safety laws restricting reuse, and unexpected child absences. Children's in-tense distaste for some foods, particularly vegetables, which were named by all respondents as the most commonly uneaten food group, was the primary cause of plate waste.
Qualitative research also revealed gaps in communication between kitchen and childcare personnel, limited menu flexibility, and inadequate planning as im-portant contributors to waste. The study concludes that better meal forecasting, staff training, menu planning, and mealtime procedures are necessary for effi-cient waste reduction. Waste volumes can be considerably reduced by imple-menting techniques including child centered portioning, improved eating condi-tions, sensory-based food education, and increased kitchen staff collaboration. In addition to improving the environment, reducing food waste will help munici-palities save money and encourage young children to eat sustainably.