Student Projects

Student Projects

Harnessing student enthusiasm is crucial to the development of Food Waste Innovation research. We connect students with industry through food waste-related research projects.

We offer two options for undergraduate and honours students to gain research skills and experience by working with Food Waste Innovation supervisors and University of Otago mentors at the forefront of food waste research in Aotearoa New Zealand.

  • This paid internship is designed for undergraduate or honours-level students to engage in a dynamic 6-10-week industry-sponsored food waste-related research project. Sponsors collaborate closely with the students and expert Food Waste Innovation researchers to shape a research project and deliver a meaningful output. This internship is an excellent opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience conducting real-life research and contribute to industry knowledge.

  • This is a full-year project-based paper (FOSC311) for food science students to gain an understanding of the product development process and the role of food scientists/technologists in the food industry. The project is set to simulate the time, cost, quality and process issues faced when working within a company to develop new products. Projects are solicited from food manufacturing companies or research organisations. Groups of students go through the stages of concept development, prototype development, shelf-life assessment, consumer testing, packaging design and labelling to deliver on a project brief.

2023-2024

Our Summer Interns

Cinamin Collins

Political Science & Environmental Management Student

Zahrah Hatraby

Human Nutrition Masters Student

Trixie Croad

Sociology & Food Science Student

  • Food Waste in Aged Care

    Trixie’s project, sponsored by Arvida Retirement Villages, aimed to understand how much and what food is wasted in aged care villages and identify key barriers to food waste.

    Link to resource

Cameron Brewitt

Marketing & Finance Student

  • Worm Farming in Student Flats

    Cameron’s project looked at the feasibility of a worm farming program in student flats.

    Link to resource

Max Doyle

Economics & Accounting Student

Jackson McBreen

Botany & Agriculture Innovation Student

Demi Lawrence

Human Geography Student

  • Prevention and Mitigation of Food and Organic Waste in Hospitals

    Demi’s project was sponsored by the Dunedin Public Hospital

Saffron Elliott

Entrepreneurship & Marketing Student

Megan McKenzie

Philosophy, Politics & Economics (PPE) & Psychology Student

  • International Policy Review of Organics Bans to Landfill

    Megan’s project, sponsored by the Office of the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor (OPMCSA), conducts an internationally-based overview of policies designed to ban organics from reaching our landfills.

Sydney Collin

Food Science Student

  • Food Waste Reduction within the Carrot Production Industry

    Sydney’s project looked at barriers and opportunities to food waste reduction within the carrot production industry, with a focus on opportunities for upcycling.

Charli May Christensen

Food Science & Human Nutrition Student

Ana Gibson

Consumer Food Science & Human Nutrition Student

2022-2023

Grace Petersen

Human Nutrition Student

  • Onion Loss and Waste Streams in Aotearoa

    Grace’s project, sponsored by Onions NZ, investigated food waste in the onion-growing industry and the appetite for developing value-added streams.

    Link to resource

2021-2022

Ashlee Drummy

Food Science & Plant Biology Student

2023

Our FOSC311 Students

Nutcrackers

Ella-Grace Mclaghlin, Annabel Chilcott, Isaac Williams, Holly Vandermerwe

  • The Nutcrackers project’s brief, sponsored by Trickett’s Grove, was to develop a new food product using a walnut by-product.

WALL-E Walnuts

Kim Shanks, Hayley McMillan and Nethania Handoko

  • The WALL-E Walnuts project’s brief, sponsored by Trickett’s Grove, was to develop a new food product using a walnut by-produc.t

Student News