Re-Licious: Co-Design with Adolescents to Turn Leftovers into Delicious and Healthy Meals—A School-Based Pilot Intervention

Eva L. Jenkins (), Linda Brennan, Michaela Jackson and Tracy A. McCaffrey ()
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Eva L. Jenkins: Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, Monash University, 264 Ferntree Gully Road, Melbourne 3168, Australia
Linda Brennan: School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000, Australia
Michaela Jackson: School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000, Australia
Tracy A. McCaffrey: Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, Monash University, 264 Ferntree Gully Road, Melbourne 3168, Australia

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 16, 1-16

Abstract: One-third of the food produced globally is lost or wasted, and one cause is consumer leftovers. Re-licious was an eight-week pilot intervention aiming to increase awareness of food waste and healthy eating by building adolescents’ ability to prepare and cook leftovers. Re-licious used a co-design approach and was piloted in a secondary school, half of which was during a COVID-19 lockdown period. Students watched videos on food waste and healthy eating during class. They identified leftover ingredients at home and repurposed ingredients to create recipes. Students co-created recipe criteria to ensure the personal relevance of the recipes. They completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires ( n = 40) about food waste and motivation and interest in healthy eating. Four group interviews were conducted. The factors identified as important in the co-creation sessions were preparation time, cost, healthiness, and sustainability. Participants with low motivation and interest in healthy eating decreased, and participants with high interest increased ( p < 0.001). The intention to reduce food waste increased ( p = 0.007), as did resourcefulness ( p < 0.001) and personal norms ( p = 0.048). Interviews highlighted the students’ increased awareness of food waste and enjoyment of the intervention. With improvements based on this pilot, Re-licious could be adapted and re-trialled in a face-to-face format to educate young people about food waste.

Keywords: co-design; behaviour change; food waste; healthy eating; adolescents; school (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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