Legal framework
Food waste management at the university is governed by the requirements of current Ukrainian legislation in the fields of food safety, waste management and environmental protection, particularly the following laws of Ukraine:
– “On Quality and Safety of Food Products and Food Raw Materials”;
– “On Waste Management”;
– “On Environmental Protection”;
– “On Protection of Consumer Rights”;
– “On Ensuring Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare of Population”.
In accordance with these requirements, the university runs a food safety management system built on HACCP principles.
How monitoring is organised
The Student Catering Centre (SCC) keeps a constant record of and exercises control over food waste in three university cafeterias:
– Cafeteria in Building No. 1 serves students and staff;
– in Building No. 31 serves students and staff; and
– in Building No. 32 serves cadets.
Food waste is categorised as biowaste, therefore its collection, storage and removal require special attention. Within the HACCP system, food waste management represents a critical control point: the sanitary condition of kitchens and the safety of meals served to customers depend on the timely and correct disposal of waste.
The volume of waste is largely determined at the stages of procurement and storage of raw products. That is why the SCC adheres to the “from farm to table” principle: quality raw products, proper storage conditions, observance of flow charts, and the rules of primary vegetable processing enable a reduction in food waste while improving the quality of a final product.
Results of monitoring in 2025
All products of the SCC cafeterias — from first courses to baked goods — are daily sold out, so there is no leftover food. Food goes to waste solely during the primary processing of vegetables (peeling, trimming and sorting). Monitoring data are presented in Table 1.
Table 1
Record of monitoring food waste at the SCC in 2025 (tonnes)
| No. | Food item | Unit of Measurement | Volume (t) |
| 1 | Potatoes | t | 10.4006 |
| 2 | Cabbage | t | 3.64055 |
| 3 | Beet | t | 1.1815 |
| 4 | Carrots | t | 1.63115 |
| 5 | Onions | t | 1.04465 |
| 6 | Cucumbers | t | 0.0442 |
| 7 |
Tomatoes |
t |
0.0799 |
| Total | 18.02255 (21.203 in 2024) | ||
Potatoes account for the largest share of waste — more than half of the total volume — followed by cabbage and carrots. These items are therefore the priority targets for measures aimed at reducing waste during primary processing.
Removal (transportation) and disposal
Food waste is removed from cafeterias by the university’s transport enterprise under a contract with the SCC. Regular and timely removal prevents the accumulation of biowaste in kitchens and maintains proper sanitary conditions.
Alignment with SDGs
The monitoring and reduction of food waste form a part of university’s contribution to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), above all SDG 2: Zero Hunger. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture: the rational utilisation of food reduces food waste and lessens an impact on the environment.