Summary
Plate food waste (PFW) in early childhood education is a critical yet understudied issue in Eastern Europe, with implications for nutrition, sustainability, and food security. This study examined PFW in a kindergarten in the Republic of Moldova, encompassing all 58 enrolled children and generating 14,292 meal-level observations through direct weighing of served meals and leftovers. Variance analysis (ANOVA) was used to test the influence of weekday, meal type, age, and gender, while Principal Component Analysis (PCA) explored latent structures of waste determinants. Results showed significant effects of weekday and meal type on PFW, with lunch consistently generating the highest waste levels and snacks the lowest. Gender differences were modest, while the interaction between age and gender
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