Satisfaction status of university students campus dining services and determination of plate waste in foods

University students are obliged to provide a sufficient and quality level of the campus dining services offered during the time they spend at the university, 2/3 of their daily energy and nutrient requirements. This study was carried out in two parts, subjective and objective, between November and December 2019 in order to determine the satisfaction level of Gaziantep University students from the institutional food services offered at the university cafeteria and to determine the amount of leftovers that were consumed in the university cafeteria in a week (five days) period. In the first part of the study, the data regarding the statement-based / subjective service satisfaction of the research were asked about their opinions about the this services system 273 students (Female:%50.5; %49.5), and they were evaluated and scored as very bad, bad, medium, good, very good with 5-point Likert scale. In addition, based on the statements of the students, the amount of waste they left in portions was questioned. In the second part of the study, order to determine the plate waste formed by the objective method, the residual quantities of 300 students (Female:%50; Male:%50) who were selected randomly at the cafeteria every day (five days) were calculated by weighing method. According to the data obtained in the first part of the study; the from organoleptic characteristics of the meals served, respectively; the taste, the freshness of salads / fruits, appearance, cooking level, cleaning (%89.0, 86.9, %86.8, %86.5, %86.5) and the from the menu features; compliance with healthy nutrition principles (%83.6) and the from service features; behavior of the service personnel, their the cleanliness and the suitability of the service hours (%93.4, %89.0, %87.9) were found to be above medium and medium level. Despite this, the from organoleptic features of the meals offered by the service, respectively; food temperatures and portion are (%20.5, %16.5) , the from the menu features; compliance, diversity and repetition frequency are (%77.7, %77.2, %64.1) and the from the service features; tray cleaning, plate cleaning, tableware cleaning and service type (%39.2, %38.0, %36.7, %19.5) were found to be bad and very bad. There was no significant difference between students' satisfaction with their organoleptic and menu features and their gender, but the difference between their satisfaction with their service features and their gender was found significant (p<0.05). The frequency of students' use of dining halls, monthly average allowances and average age was not found to be significant on their satisfaction with the service provided. (p>0.05). When the reasons for the students to quit / not consume in the meals served are listed; 28.9% of the dishes were tasteless, 25.3% of the portions were high, 15,8% of the tastes were not found and the dishes were not hot enough. According to the data obtained by the objective method in the second part of the study; it was found that the proportion of leftover meals in main meals was 21.2%, 17.2% in second-course meals and 11.8% in third-course meals. In addition, the plate waste rate was 22.1% for female students in all meals, and 12.6% for male students. This shows that there is a loss / damage between 19-20% in the cost of the meals at this university. In both methods of the study, women left more leftovers than men, and a significant difference was found between students' gender and leftovers left in meals (p<0.05) and there was no difference between the waste collection percentages (p>0.05). Therefore, the proportion of leftovers can be determined by questioning the leftover portions left in their plates that are asked to the students in the most accurate and practical way. As a result; students who benefit from the cafeteria where the study is carried out, the food waste levels, which are formed in direct proportion with the dissatisfaction of the students in the service provided, are at a level that cannot be ignored. More attention should be given to improving the quality features of the service, increasing satisfaction and reducing the amount of waste.