A large-scale investigation of eating behaviors and meal perceptions in Italian primary school cafeterias: The relationship between emotions, meal perception, and food waste

We explored the relationships between meal perception, emotions, and food waste in different age groups in primary school cafeterias. The aims were to assess the effect of age and gender on perceptions of the cafeteria’s meals, emotions, and food waste, and to assess the relationships among food waste, meal perception, and emotions. 1,092 children (5–11 years old [y.o.], 53 % females) completed a questionnaire in nine Italian schools. The main collected variables were the pleasure of eating in the cafeteria, declared liking for different foods, emotional responses to eating in the cafeteria, meal description evaluated as binary choices considering different aspects (duration, presence of noise, perceived comfort, crowding, fun, possibility of movement), and food waste (overall and for different foods). Age but not gender significantly affected meal perception, emotions, and food waste. The general attitude towards eating in the cafeteria was more positive among the youngest children (6–7 y.o.), while it steadily worsened from 8 y.o. on. Pasta, meat, and fruits were consistently the most liked foods, fish, vegetables, and legumes the least. Mealtime in the cafeteria was generally described as noisy and crowded, but also comfortable and fun. Children used negative emojis less to describe the mealtime. Food waste was high: 22 % of children declared leaving food on the plate “frequently” and 8 % “always.” However, lower food waste was associated with a positive emotional status and a positive meal perception. Intervention actions should improve the emotional response and the lunch environmental context in school cafeterias.