Campus Food Recovery: Balancing Sustainability and Student Needs

Authors

• Scott T. Taylor Jr., University of South CarolinaFollow
• Wenhao Zhang, Montana State UniversityFollow
• Robin B. DiPietro, University of South CarolinaFollow
• Mary Stein, Montana State UniversityFollow
• Junehee Kwon, University of TennesseeFollow

Executive Summary

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a food recovery program at a large university on food waste reduction and food insecurity mitigation. The primary goal of the food recovery program was two-fold: to help provide ready-to-eat meals for students facing food insecurity and to help the campus food service provider minimize post-production food waste. Thus, food was recovered from multiple dining outlets on a large university campus in the southeast United States. To ensure a valid comparison between 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 academic years, a 3-month period during the spring semesters in 2023 and 2024 was selected and compared for data analysis. Results indicated a marked growth in the amount of food that was recovered, with significant changes across multiple operations. Overall, total food recovery increased by 29% from 2022-2023 to 2023-2024. These results indicated significant progress toward food waste reduction and food insecurity mitigation goals.

Recommended Citation

Taylor, Scott T. Jr.; Zhang, Wenhao; DiPietro, Robin B.; Stein, Mary; and Kwon, Junehee (2026) "Campus Food Recovery: Balancing Sustainability and Student Needs," ICHRIE Research Reports: Vol. 11: Iss. 3, Article 1.
DOI: www.doi.org/10.61701/160233.45
Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/ichrie_rr/vol11/iss3/1