Approximately 31% of food is lost or wasted at the retail and consumer levels in the U.S. Among consumers, young adults have been identified as one of the more wasteful segments of the population. In the U.S., many young adults (ages 18–24) attend a post-secondary education institution where they are often provided housing and meals through the college or university. Because of this, university dining facilities make an excellent target for food waste reduction strategies. The purpose of this study is to evaluate one food waste reduction strategy: changing the plate shape and size in university dining facilities. Specifically, this study compares individual food selection, consumption, and waste between round plates (9″ x 9″) and smaller oval platters (9.75″ x 7.75″) in a self-serve, all-you-care-to-eat dining environment. Compared to larger round plates, smaller oval platters significantly reduced average food selection (359.9 g vs. 318.0 g, P<0.001), consumption (302.9 g vs. 280.5 g, P = 0.0012), and waste (57.0 g vs. 37.5 g, P<0.001). Our results suggest changing the plate shape and size can be an effective waste reduction strategy in all-you-care-to-eat dining halls at colleges and universities. Future studies should consider how such changes impact dietary quality and whether waste reduction effects persist over time.

在美国，大约31％的食物损失或浪费在零售和消费者层面。在消费者中，年轻人被认为是人口中浪费最严重的人群之一。在美国，许多年轻人（18至24岁）就读于专上教育机构，他们通常通过大学或大学为他们提供住房和饮食。因此，大学就餐设施是减少食物浪费策略的绝佳目标。这项研究的目的是评估一种减少食物浪费的策略：改变大学就餐设施的盘子形状和大小。具体来说，这项研究比较了自助餐，自助饮食的圆形盘子（9英寸x 9英寸）和较小的椭圆形拼盘（9.75英寸x 7.75英寸）之间单个食物的选择，食用和浪费环境。P <0.001），消耗量（302.9 g vs.280.5 g，P  = 0.0012）和浪费（57.0 g vs. 37.5 g，P <0.001）。我们的结果表明，改变盘子的形状和尺寸可以成为高等学校就餐时就餐的有效减少浪费的策略。未来的研究应考虑这种变化如何影响饮食质量以及减少废物的效果是否会持续。