Wits School of Education (ETDs)

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Browsing Wits School of Education (ETDs) by SDG "SDG-12: Responsible consumption and production"

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    Building back better food systems: Exploring how employees learn about food waste in a food processing company in Gauteng Province, South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-10) Nesengani, Elelwani Clinton; Jenkin, Nicola; Ramsarup, Presha
    At a time when there is increasing local and global interest in the development of sustainable food systems, it is important for food processing companies to find ways of minimising food waste. Thus, it is important to understand what knowledge employees working in the food processing industry have about food waste and how they learn about ways of minimising such waste. This study explored how employees learn about food waste when commercially processing food at a food processing company in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The study investigated employees' knowledge about food waste, opportunities for work-based learning about food waste, how work-based learning about food waste is organised and facilitated, and challenges faced in organising and facilitating such learning. Data for the study was collected from in-person interviews and on-site observations. Process controllers, team leaders, general workers, product receivers, sustainability training coordinators, and the management team were interviewed. Work-based learning theory, and in particular, Lave and Wenger’s (1991) theory of situated learning, was used to frame the analysis of the data collected. In establishing a context for learning about food waste, it was found that employees described food waste in three ways: expired food, food spillages on the floor, and food in poor condition. These descriptions indicated that employees did not connect the issue of food waste to the food processing work that they accomplish. Unlike other sustainability issues such as food safety, health, and general waste management, there was a generally low level of awareness about food waste. Analysis of interviews and observational data indicated that, in the food processing company studied, there are no structured ways of learning how to reduce food waste. Instead, this issue is managed through "reactive learning", where team leaders and process controllers highlight a particular issue to food processing employees after food has been wasted. Some employees expressed interest in sustained, proactive opportunities for learning about food waste. It is evident that there is a need for structured learning opportunities about food waste for employees working in the food processing company studied and for greater awareness of the implications of food waste on both employees and employers.