Sponsored By

Penn State tests going trayless

Pilot at school's largest dining hall designed to test initiative's food waste reduction potential.

Mike Buzalka, Executive Features Editor

August 24, 2015

1 Min Read
FoodService Director logo in a gray background | FoodService Director

Penn State will be piloting trayless dining during the fall semester in its all-you-can-eat Findlay Dining Commons in East Halls. The largest dining facility on campus, Findlay will be the school’s first trayless dining venue.

The pilot is designed to determine how much food waste the school might reduce with a tray less approach to all-you-care-to-eat dining.

An article in the school’s Onward State campus paper noted that Northwestern University reduced food waste by more than 30 percent with a tray less dining program. A similar result in Findlay would produce a substantial saving as the dining venue currently wastes nearly 70,000 pounds of food per year, according to the same article.

Trayless dining saved Rutgers University some $300,000 after a trayless pilot produced a 20 percent food waste reduction last fall. However, a Cornell University study published last year questioned the benefits of trayless dining, noting that it found such an approach leading to students taking fewer salads and more dessert, among other drawbacks.

Penn State was No. 5 on FM's 2014 College Power Players listing with 14,365 students residing on campus and annual dining program revenues of $64.3 million.

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]

About the Author

Mike Buzalka

Executive Features Editor, Food Management

Mike Buzalka is executive features editor for Food Management and contributing editor to Restaurant Hospitality, Supermarket News and Nation’s Restaurant News. On Food Management, Mike has lead responsibility for compiling the annual Top 50 Contract Management Companies as well as the K-12, College, Hospital and Senior Dining Power Players listings. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English Literature from John Carroll University. Before joining Food Management in 1998, he served as for eight years as assistant editor and then editor of Foodservice Distributor magazine. Mike’s personal interests range from local sports such as the Cleveland Indians and Browns to classic and modern literature, history and politics.

Mike Buzalka’s areas of expertise include operations, innovation and technology topics in onsite foodservice industry markets like K-12 Schools, Higher Education, Healthcare and Business & Industry.

Mike Buzalka’s experience:

Executive Features Editor, Food Management magazine (2010-present)

Contributing Editor, Restaurant Hospitality, Supermarket News and Nation’s Restaurant News (2016-present)

Associate Editor, Food Management magazine (1998-2010)

Editor, Foodservice Distributor magazine (1997-1998)

Assistant Editor, Foodservice Distributor magazine (1989-1997)

 

Subscribe to FoodService Director Newsletters
Get the foodservice industry news and insights you need for success, right in your inbox.