King's College London
Maximum nutrition, minimum waste: Root-to-tip campus dining
Finalist, Research with Impact - Institution
Finalist, Research with Impact
About
The Root-to-Tip project at King’s College London is a King’s Food Living Laboratory initiative addressing two interconnected challenges: low dietary fibre intake and high food waste. Fewer than one in ten UK adults meet fibre recommendations, while around 10 million tonnes of food are wasted annually, much of it edible plant material. This interdisciplinary collaboration between nutrition researchers, marketing specialists and King’s Food embeds research directly into real-world catering systems. Since April 2025, root-to-tip dishes using typically discarded plant components (e.g. skins, stalks, seeds) have been introduced across campus venues. These ingredients are often higher in fibre than commonly consumed parts, increasing fibre content by 2.6g per serving. Over the nine-week evaluation period, over 6,000 meals were sold, preventing up to 241kg of food waste and generating cost savings. The project demonstrates a scalable, evidence-based approach to improving health while reducing environmental impact.
Top three learnings
1. We learned co-creation with chefs is essential for practical, scalable implementation.
2. We found clear labelling and marketing significantly influence customer uptake of sustainable dishes.
3. We demonstrated integrating research into operations drives measurable health, environmental and financial impact.
SDGs
12 - Responsible consumption and production
What it means to win
Winning a Green Gown Award would provide valuable recognition for this innovative Living Lab project, which brings together the expertise of academics, King’s Food and students. This partnership bridges the gap between academic research and practical application in the food service industry, with the potential for impact well beyond King’s. The award would also help amplify our work and encourage other universities to adopt similar approaches, creating collective impact across the sector.
| 2026 | |
| Research with Impact - Institution | |
| Finalist, UK and Ireland |
More from the 2026 awards
Charles Sturt University
Restoring Nature, Inspiring Futures: 20+ Years of Biodiversity Leadership
Read More
Finalist, Nature Positive
Green Gown Award Regions
Australasia
