In an effort to be more environmentally conscious, many universities around the country are taking steps to reduce the amount of food waste produced at dining facilities.
At Penn the amount of waste produced is not recorded, but officials say that they do an adequate job of minimizing the amount of waste at the three all-you-can-eat dining halls on campus.
"We feel we've got that mastered. We are in the business of creating food for bigger audiences," said Kate Moran, a spokeswoman for Aramark -- the company that runs Penn's Dining Services.
Aramark declined to provide figures for the amount of food waste Penn's dining halls produce daily.
Moran said that specific measurements are not needed because Aramark is able to estimate the amount of food that will be eaten during a given meal time.
"We monitor how things work. If something isn't consistent -- if we see something isn't being consumed -- we make immediate changes," Moran said. "Our meal-planning methods assist us in ensuring that we do not overproduce."
When "forecasting" menus, Aramark uses food production records. These are records of patron count per day and dining time --- lunch or dinner. The records indicate the popularity of a certain food item.
"We use the records to dictate our preparation for the following week," Moran said. "The method is actually very sophisticated; there's a science to it."
But officials at many schools, such as the University of California, Berkeley, say that it is important to track food waste regularly, regardless of what other methods may be used.
"It's a really important issue. It's a cost issue, a food waste issue. It's about letting students know they have a responsibility," Kim LaPean, Berkeley's marketing coordinator, said. "At Berkeley we weigh the food waste monthly and use it as a visual tool to show students how much they waste. It brings awareness to students, and is a constant reminder to think about how much food they take."
Several student groups also sponsor special events to help reduce waste.
One student group, the Student Sustainability Education Coordinator program, organizes "one big semester event where we collect the food students waste and measure it throughout the night on a 'waste-o-meter,'" Lapean said.
Through its work, Berkeley has found that "the biggest impact we had on reducing food waste was using smaller trays, plates and bowls," according to Lapean.
Some schools are choosing to forgo all-you-can-eat dining halls altogether in favor of a la carte menus.
Boston College officials said that they have minimized waste with the new system.
"Our customers pay only for what they choose to eat," said Director of BC Dining Services Helen Wechsler, adding that the campus has 11 dining restaurants.
At Penn, students agree that more a la carte options could help reduce waste.
"We would be less wasteful if we had more dining options," College freshman Jessica Haralson said. "More restaurants on campus that take [meal plans] would be good."
Penn Environmental Group member and College senior Rachel Gross said that the nature of all-you-can-eat dining halls is problematic.
"I'm sure it's completely appalling-- -- the waste we produce -- because of the way it is served," she said.
