Food, Feelings, and Waste: Insights from Flavoria

Self-service restaurants (SSRs), also known as buffet-style restaurants, face unique challenges in reducing food waste amounts and optimizing customer satisfaction. The Dining Flow project, conducted by the Nutrition and Food Research Center (NuFo) at the University of Turku, investigated these dynamics within Flavoria—a smart SSR located on campus. Over a seven-day period in March and April 2024, a total of 147 participants, primarily university staff and students, were surveyed to assess their dining behavior, attitudes toward food waste, nutritional intake, and sensory-emotional experiences.

The study employed a multidisciplinary approach combining real-time food weight and food waste tracking, and user experience evaluation from pre-dining to post-dining stages. Key objectives included quantifying food waste in relation to individual food choices, understanding diners’ motivations and values, and evaluating the sensory and emotional impact of both the dining and waste environments. Nutritional intake was measured using precise weight data collected during the dining process.

Full results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and scientific posters; the first posters were presented in Paris, International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS), 24-29 August 2025.