Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Food waste poses a major global issue with profound environmental, economic, and social consequences, exacerbating climate change, resource depletion, and ecological degradation. Within this context, the airline industry, as a resource-intensive sector, faces increasing scrutiny for its environmental footprint, particularly in relation to in-flight catering services, where food waste not only entails the loss of edible products but also the inefficient use of essential resources such as land, water, and energy. With the huge influence and potential to serve billion of airline passengers, there is a lack of adequate research in this area. Through a case study of airline catering food production, the study aims to address this gap by conducting a comprehensive analysis of food waste within the production kitchen to identify food waste hotspots and interview with the staff to investigate the factors enabling food waste generation. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research integrates quantitative waste audits with qualitative thematic analyses of staff interviews to quantify food waste and identify its primary drivers. Findings revealed that vegetable waste constitutes 32% of total food waste, with crew and business class meals accounting for 78% of the waste generated.
Notably, the hot kitchen emerged as the predominant source of food waste in volume and edibility, with trolley waste accounting for 69% of the total waste recorded based on waste classification, and preparation and portioning accounted for 28% and 3%, respectively. These insights underscore the need for targeted interventions, such as optimising forecasting systems, standardising menus, and enhancing staff training to promote efficient resource utilisation. The study recommends a holistic, system-wide approach to food waste management, emphasising the most preferred approaches which aim at prevention and reduction at the source instead of the least preferred approach, which is solutions like energy recovery before landfill disposal. By illuminating the composition and drivers of food waste in airline catering, this research provides actionable recommendations for industry stakeholders aiming to implement sustainable food waste management practices and policies.