In 2023 we had the opportunity to dive deeper into our work than ever before, and evaluate the effectiveness of our Food Lovers Masterclass.
In addition to this, we tested three different communication methods to see which was the most effective in gaining responses from our participants.
We are excited to share the final report from this study below, with hopes to continue this work into the future providing us with greater insights than ever before.
Click here to view the report, or check out the abstract below:
This study evaluates the effectiveness of Waste-Ed with Kate’s, ‘Food Lovers Masterclass’, a national food waste reduction program, in instigating behaviour change among participants. This study used a combination of pre-attendance surveys as well as “on the night” and three and six week post-attendance surveys to gain insight into participant behaviours.
The data collected focuses on understanding the dynamics of reported food waste amounts, as well as behaviours and attitudes towards food waste. Alongside the main focus of investigating change in behaviour following attendance to the Food Lovers Masterclass, this study also investigated the best method of collecting information from participants to evaluate the success of the programme.
Three different communication methods were tested, and reported on to determine the highest response rate. Graphical representations and Likert scale analyses illustrate participants' food waste reduction behaviours pre-attendance, and at three and six weeks post-masterclass.
The findings indicate a significant reduction in reported food waste, suggesting a positive impact on participants' practices. The study, part of a wider program around food waste reduction funded by the Ministry for the Environment, contributes valuable insights into the success of in-person behaviour change interventions. Despite potential confounding factors, such as holiday periods, the observed trends emphasise the potential for in person food waste reduction programs to influence positive sustainability practices.
This report covers the methodology employed, presents the results, engages in a thorough discussion, and suggests potential future implementations to further improve the Food Lovers Masterclass’s effectiveness, as well as the accompanying evaluation of it’s participants.
The study found that the most effective communication method by far was the SMS texting method, with a 35% response rate at 6 weeks. It is recommended that Waste-Ed with Kate investigate an even more robust SMS method, to further increase the insights generated from future evaluation.