Better taste, less waste? Food acceptance, intake and plate waste measurement in Swiss school canteens

Food waste is a massive problem in Switzerland. 14% of avoidable food waste occurs in the catering industry (Beretta & Hellweg, 2019). Studies from other countries, e.g. France, hint that the potential to reduce food waste in children’s canteens is significant – currently 110-130 g per child and meal are wasted (MAA, 2011). However, no such data is available for Switzerland. Identifying the reasons for the non-acceptance of food in children’s canteens, recording the resulting food waste, i.e. determining the extent of the problem, and deriving measures to prevent it, is therefore important to reduce the resulting environmental impacts. Avoiding food waste ultimately also means that children eat an adequate and appealing meal that is beneficial to their health and school performance. In a first step, semi-structured interviews were conducted with chefs of children's canteens (pre-school and school-age) to understand the perceived food acceptance, menu planning criteria and challenges. In the canteens interviewed, food acceptance is relatively good, and the issue of food waste is on the agenda. The interviewees show high self-motivation to prepare menus hat are appealing to children. The low plate waste seems to be due to the way the food is served, as the children are first given a small amount of each component to try and are given more if they are not yet satiated. Furthermore, limited food waste in the canteens surveyed is according to the chefs also due to the fact that feedback is regularly sought from children and/or parents, menu planning is constantly adjusted and new cooking techniques or recipes are tried out. Following the interviews, an on-site observation indicates that the low food waste might also be explained by the fact that chefs do not over-prepare foods that in their experience are eaten less by the children, despite the dietary recommendations (applies especially to vegetables and whole-grain products). Here, too, it can be assumed that without the personal commitment of the chefs, the amount of food waste would be greater. Finally, the canteens interviewed are specialised in catering for this target group. As mentioned by the respondents, it takes several months of training to understand children’s needs and cook accordingly – which is crucial to avoid food waste. In a next step, the recording of plate waste in selected school canteens is planned for a two-week period. The aim is to record the amount of food waste and better understand the influence of sensory characteristics (appearance, taste, texture) on food acceptance. On a 5-point smiley face scale, the participating children will rate their liking of each food component served. Together with their parents, they will give additional reasons for liking or disliking of the foods consumed. Using the quantification of plate waste and the results from the online questionnaire, a method will be developed which allows to identify which components of a children's meal generate food waste and the proportion of avoidable and non-avoidable food waste. This method will ultimately help to develop measures to reduce food waste in children

Impact of spatial distribution on the sensory properties of multiphase 3D-printed food configurations

The rise of 3D-printing technology is opening up new possibilities for arranging two or more sensorily distinct phases in a specific manner, and thus potentially creating new sensory experiences. Particularly interesting is the spatial configuration of multiple phases for adjusting flavor and texture perception without changing the overall composition, as such configuration would represent a step towards individualization. In the present study, different 3D configurations of two rheologically and texturally very distinct phases were investigated as to their effect on mechanical properties and sensory perception. Chocolate and cream cheese masses were arranged three-dimensionally (cube-in-cube; layered) by additive manufacturing and characterized by measuring penetration resistance as well as by hedonic, descriptive, and temporal dominance of sensation (TDS) methodologies. By comparing samples with identical phase ratios, three characteristic texture profiles could be generated. How much the samples were liked depended significantly on perceived mouthfeel/texture and product hardness. The mouthfeel was in turn determined by the 3D configuration of the phases. TDS characterization showed either two or three dominance areas of one of the phases, depending on whether chocolate or cream cheese was perceived initially. While the dominance time of chocolate increased with increasing chocolate fraction in samples with chocolate as the external phase, the dominance time of cream cheese in samples with cream cheese as the external phase hardly changed with increasing phase fraction. This was mainly attributed to the very different rheological phase properties of cream cheese and chocolate. Based on the TDS evolution at the later stages of consumption that is rather independent of the initial configuration, the renewal of the relevant interface in the oral cavity was mainly determined by the mixing kinetics of both phases, and secondarily by what phase was perceived to be dominant before a phase dominance change took place. This study shows that in defining the 3D configuration of phases with differing rheological properties, there is considerable potential for adjusting the sensory properties. This is a step towards broader coverage of consumer needs through 3D product design without the need for formulation adjustments

Traditionelle Westschweizer Spezialitäten aus regional erzeugtem Schweinefleisch

Boutefas und Jambon de la borne sind Fleischprodukte aus den Regionen Waadt und Freiburg mit einer lebendigen Tradition. Ob sich für diese Spezialtäten eine spezifische Grundlage und damit die Voraussetzung für eine geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnungen (AOP) ergibt, wenn das Fleisch von Schweinen einer definierten Genetik stammt und diese ausschliesslich mit Futter aus regionalen Komponenten gemästet werden, war Gegenstand dieser Untersuchung. Dazu wurden 170 Schweine, die von Ebern der Rassen Duroc, Piétrain oder der Edelschwein-Vaterlinie abstammten und die entweder auf Zuwachs oder auf Fleischqualität selektiert waren, balanciert in zwei Gruppen verteilt und mit einem üblichen Ergänzungsfutter (Kontrolle) zu Schotte oder einem Ergänzungsfutter ohne Sojaschrot und mit abgesenktem Protein- und Lysingehalt gemästet. Mit diesem regionalen Futter wuchsen die Tiere etwas langsamer und der Fettansatz war etwas höher. Daneben ergab sich ein tieferer Anteil an mehrfach ungesättigten Fettsäuren im Fettgewebe und ein vorteilhafteres Omega- 6/Omega-3 Verhältnis, was auch in den Fleischprodukten deutlich nachzuweisen war. In sensorischen Analysen unterschieden sich die Boutefas aus der Kontrolle und der regionalen Fütterung deutlich. Die Piétrain Kreuzungen zeigten mit der regionalen Fütterung erheblich geringere Zunahmen und in den Jambon de la borne eine erhöhte Frequenz von Farbabweichungen. Mit der regionalen Fütterung und ausgewählten Genetik ergab sich eine spezifische Fleisch- und Fettqualität, die sich auch in den Produkten widerspiegelte

The effect of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and organic labeling on Swiss consumers’ acceptance of pork salami

Pork salami with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) may be unappealing for consumers as it is more prone to the development of off-flavors and a “greasy” texture. In Switzerland, a share of more than 15.5% PUFA in back fat is penalized with a payment deduction of minimally CHF 0.10 per kilogram carcass weight. In this study, we aimed to assess the effect of different PUFA levels and organic labeling on Swiss consumers’ acceptance of pork salami. We conducted a sensory consumer experiment, following a two-factorial treatment structure, crossing the factor “PUFA level” (15.4% PUFA in back fat vs. 18.3% PUFA in back fat) and the factor “information on production system” (blind vs. non-organic vs. organic). Consumer acceptance was captured using a 9-point hedonic scale for overall liking and an open-ended willingness to pay question. Furthermore, participants had the opportunity to comment on their sensory experience for each product in an open text question. An increased PUFA content in back fat of 18.3% vs. 15.4% did not lead to a significant difference in consumer acceptance of pork salami in either of the three information conditions, even though, as identified in the analysis of open comments, the high-PUFA salami tended to be more often perceived as “softer” and/or “more greasy”. In contrast, consumer acceptance of both the high- and low-PUFA salami was significantly higher under the “organic” than under either the “non-organic” or blind tasting conditions. Based on this study, a PUFA content in back fat of up to 18% is not expected to have a negative impact on consumer acceptance of pork salami. Therefore, and based on previous findings, we recommend to adapt the Swiss pork fat quality grading system to account for this higher acceptable PUFA limit of 18%. Future research should further explore trade-offs between sensory quality, sustainability, and healthiness while taking consumers’ heterogeneity into account

Gesundes Fleisch von glücklichen Tieren

Das Wiesenschwein-System ist ein neu entwickeltes Tierhaltungsverfahren, mit dem Tierwohl und Wirtschaftlichkeit näher zusammengebracht werden sollen. Dieses System nutzt modernste Technologien(u.a. Torsteuerung, RFID-Ohrmarken, Bilderkennungsverfahren), um den Schweinen ein Zeitfenster zum Ausleben natürlicher Verhaltensweisen wie Suhlen, Wühlen und Rennen in einem dafür ausgestatteten Areal zur Verfügung zu stellen. Durch die zeitliche Begrenzung kann das Areal von Tieren verschiedener Buchten abwechselnd und damit sehr effizient genutzt werden. Im Rahmen eines Innosuisse-Projektes werden verschiedene Aspekte dieses Systems untersucht und weiterentwickelt. Im vorliegenden Arbeitspaket wurde untersucht, wie sich der Zusatz von Leinsamen, Kräuternund Vitamin-E im Wiesenschwein-Futter in Kombination mit der Wiesenschwein-Haltung auf die Fleisch- und Fettqualität auswirken. Die Fütterungsstrategie beim Haltungssystem «Wiesenschwein» bewirkt im Fleisch und Fett der Wiesenschweine eine für Menschen gesundheitlich vorteilhafte Zusammensetzung. Der Geschmack des Wiesenschweinfleisches wird dadurch nicht beeinträchtigt. Damit weist das neuartige Haltungssystem Wiesenschwein nicht nur Vorteile für das Tierwohl auf, sondern auch einen gesundheitlichen Mehrwert für die Konsumierenden

Better Taste! Less Waste.

Beretta et al. (2019) calculated for Switzerland the environmental impact of avoidable food losses and its reduction potential. Around 14% of the avoidable food waste occurs in the catering industry. In their report, one of the solutions to decrease the environmental food waste was to eat the food instead of wasting it. A report on food wastage in the Swiss retail and catering service (Mandaliev 2012) shows that 53 430 t are wasted yearly (8 % peelings, 86 % table waste, 6 % wasted oils) in schools and company catering services. Additionally, a report by the French Ministry of Agriculture (Ministère agriculture France 2011) quantified the amount of food waste in primary schools at 110-130 g per child per meal. Identifying measures to increase food consumption in school canteens is therefore of great importance to reduce avoidable food losses and the resulting impact on the environment. Lunch at school is an important part of the school children’s diet. Consequently, school lunch should meet the nutritional requirements and be in accordance the with dietary guidelines. An adequate meal offers several advantages in terms of health, well-being and school performance of children. But what happens if the meal is not tasty? As found by Martins et al. (2016), children’s preferences and satisfaction with the sensory properties of meals are crucial factors for the extent of plate waste. Apart from well-studied factors such as ambience, lack of time and pressure to eat and finish meals, the palatability and accessibility of food are key elements for reducing plate waste in school canteens. The importance of tasty meals adapted to children’s preferences is even more meaningful for the age group between 2 to 6 years (Addessi et al. 2005). In this sensitive phase, children often refuse to eat their food, which is why a repeated and appealing food presentation is a key to ensure the acceptance of food in adulthood. Not taking into account children’s food preferences may lead to a large amount of food being wasted and to a low nutrient intake. Cordingley et al. (2011) identified three factors responsible for food waste in schools. The first relates to organizational steps such as the lack of flexibility in planning the menus. The second factor is not directly related to food but refers to the atmosphere and environment in which food is eaten and the possible lack of time to eat. Finally, school children sometimes reject food because it is not visually appealing or has an unusual composition. Boschini et al. (2020) conducted a long-term study on reasons for food waste in school canteens in Italy. The type of meals (e.g. ingredients used, recipe, food presentation) served to the children was identified as a significant factor influencing the amount of plate waste in school canteens. There are currently only few figures available for Switzerland on food waste and acceptance in school canteens. For example, Betz et al. (2015) classified the food waste of two companies from the education and business sectors and found that the most frequently wasted foods were starch components and vegetables. As shown by the following studies, school meals are a major issue to the Bernese authorities. A report by the Directorate of Education, Social Welfare and Sport (BSS) (Hänsenberger 2013) examined satisfaction with meals from the parents' point of view and points out that the taste of meals is not satisfactory and should therefore be improved. Together with the education authority (“Schulamt”) of the city of Bern, the BSS also issued nutrition and quality guidelines for the production of meals in childcare facilities in Bern. One of the guiding principles states that food should taste good and give pleasure (Moor 2017). 4 The aim of this research project is to investigate what influence the acceptance of food has on the amount of plate waste in school canteens. The volume and type of food waste measured will serve both as a baseline for “un-accepted” food and enable a quantitative set of results during and in follow-on phases of the project as an indicator of success, namely a reduction in overall food waste. Furthermore, the relationship between sensory aspects and the amount of food waste on the plate will be better understood. This research project is a pilot study that will enable the team to gain methodological experience in measuring the acceptance of meals, food intake and plate waste in Swiss school canteens. Follow-up studies based on the findings of this pilot project are planned