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Measuring Phosphorus Release in Laboratory Microcosms for Water Quality Assessment
Published on: July 22, 2019
Lost Food and Associated Phosphorus Footprint: Evidence from China
Dengyun Gao1,2, Xing Li3, Junkai Ma1
1Institute of Food and Strategic Reserves, Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, Nanjing 210023, China.
Abstract:
The environmental impacts of excessive phosphorus emissions (PE) have been widely discussed in recent years. This study aims to calculate and evaluate the phosphorus footprint (PF) of food thrown away in Chinese universities. Based on a nationwide survey involving 9192 university students from 29 provinces and 29 universities in China, the result reveals that the PF generated by food waste in Chinese university canteens was 3.209 Kt in 2018. Furthermore, it is found that meal satisfaction, gender, regional economic level, dietary culture, and years of education all have significant impacts on lost food PF. Our findings emphasize the importance of reducing food waste in university canteens, which plays a crucial role in ensuring food security and environmental protection.
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