Niina Sundin

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Postdoc at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

A school food service, which is the way children access food during the school day, is one of the many aspects in creating a health-promoting school environment. School-provided meal services differ greatly, depending on the country, region and school contexts, however, there is limited understanding of the diverse meal delivery within these settin...

Food waste significantly impacts the environment and nutrient availability. In Sweden, public meals generate 33,000 tonnes of food waste annually, with elementary schools contributing 9,200 tonnes. A composition analysis of plate waste from 4913 meals in two elementary schools in Uppsala, Sweden identified the wasted food components and quantities....

Food is wasted in unacceptable amounts and an epidemic of overeating is sweeping the world, while billions of people suffer from food insecurity. In Sweden, retailers waste around 89,000 tons and public caterers 37,000 tons annually, comprising mostly edible food. Halving food waste at the consumption level faces challenges due to complex root caus...

Retailers' food waste, often consisting of edible food, could be reduced, while simultaneously tackling food insecurity, through surplus food donations to vulnerable groups. However, sustainability assessments of food donations covering all three sustainability perspectives are scarce, hampering decision-makers in prioritizing donation as a food wa...

There is a preconception among kitchen staff that the most popular school meals drive food waste in Swedish school catering and that vegetarian dishes increase food waste, despite being less popular than meat options. By applying mixed methods, this study investigated possible goal conflicts between reduced food waste, high acceptance, and vegetari...

Although essential in the human diet, large quantities of available protein are currently lost or under-utilized within the food system, including protein rich side streams from conventional potato starch production. By using the genome editing technique CRISPR-Cas9, conventional starch potato cultivars can be upgraded to facilitate high-value reco...

Surplus food redistribution can be a way to relieve co-existing food insecurity and food waste. The food waste hierarchy ranks surplus food donations for human consumption as the next best strategy, when food waste cannot be prevented. However, the effectiveness of food donation in terms of the amount consumed, or food donation as a food waste mana...

Food waste is a problem that needs to be addressed to achieve sustainable development. There is a need for interventions that can reduce food waste, including in organisations already aware of the food waste problem. Swedish school canteens have experience of food waste reduction, but need tools to achieve further reductions. This study tested four...

Public food service organizations are large producers of food waste, which leads to greenhouse gas emissions and the waste of natural resources. The aim of the present article was to gain insight into reasons for food waste and possible solutions for lowering food waste in schools in Sweden. In order to do so, food waste quantification in school c...

The environmental impacts of food systems and the health consequences of excess food intake are well-acknowledged global issues. However, the climate impact of excess food intake, or metabolic food waste, has received less attention. This study estimated the amount of metabolic food waste and its climate impact in Sweden. Excess food intake was est...