Abstract
Food waste is a global sustainability concern, yet its connection to cross-cultural adaptation remains underexplored. For international students, adapting to unfamiliar food environments involves cycles of trial, error and waste. Among Chinese students in the UK (one of the largest international student populations), cultural differences and short stays intensify these processes, resulting in distinct forms of waste. This study explores how food adaptation relates to waste among first-time Chinese students in the UK, attempting to reveal areas for design interventions. Seventeen students completed seven-day cultural probes, combining daily tasks with self-reflection on food practices. The analysis revealed various types of food waste and their triggers, including time-convenience pressures, emotional disengagement from unfamiliar tastes, and cultural misalignment within local food systems. These experiences foster adaptive learning and sustainability awareness through repeated experiences of waste and adaptation. Finally, opportunities for design interventions supporting sustainable adaptation and waste reduction are discussed.
Keywords
Food waste; Cross-cultural adaptation; Cultural probes; Design for sustainability
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.827
Citation
Dai, X., Tsekleves, E., and Bakırlıoğlu, Y. (2026) Understanding food waste practices in cross-cultural food adaptation: The case of Chinese students in the UK, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.827
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Understanding food waste practices in cross-cultural food adaptation: The case of Chinese students in the UK
Food waste is a global sustainability concern, yet its connection to cross-cultural adaptation remains underexplored. For international students, adapting to unfamiliar food environments involves cycles of trial, error and waste. Among Chinese students in the UK (one of the largest international student populations), cultural differences and short stays intensify these processes, resulting in distinct forms of waste. This study explores how food adaptation relates to waste among first-time Chinese students in the UK, attempting to reveal areas for design interventions. Seventeen students completed seven-day cultural probes, combining daily tasks with self-reflection on food practices. The analysis revealed various types of food waste and their triggers, including time-convenience pressures, emotional disengagement from unfamiliar tastes, and cultural misalignment within local food systems. These experiences foster adaptive learning and sustainability awareness through repeated experiences of waste and adaptation. Finally, opportunities for design interventions supporting sustainable adaptation and waste reduction are discussed.