{"id":136,"date":"2019-01-03T17:42:24","date_gmt":"2019-01-03T17:42:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cec.org\/flwm\/?p=136"},"modified":"2023-05-12T12:53:56","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T16:53:56","slug":"diaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cec.org\/flwm\/method\/diaries\/","title":{"rendered":"Diaries"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the context of FLW, diaries refer to the practice of a person or group of people (e.g., the residents of a household) keeping a log of food loss and waste that occurs within their home or other unit. The diary usually calls for the participant to log the amount and type of food being lost or wasted, along with how and why the FLW was discarded.<\/p>\n

Diaries can take many forms, such as a paper-based diary, an electronic diary or even a photographic diary in which participants take pictures of their food waste for further analysis.<\/p>\n

A summary of the strengths and limitations of diaries is shown in Table A1.<\/p>\n

Table A1. Factors to Consider When Using Diaries to Quantify FLW<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Strengths<\/strong><\/th>\nLimitations \/ Points to Consider<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Provides information on the types of food wasted and the reasons behind that waste<\/p>\n

Can gather data on otherwise difficult-to-measure material flows (e.g., food waste going into the sewer or at-home composting)<\/td>\n

Can be relatively expensive, especially if diary participants are given an incentive<\/p>\n

Can underestimate the amount of waste due to aspirational biases<\/p>\n

Can be coupled with interviews or ethnographic methods to further understand why food gets wasted<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Source: Authors.<\/p>\n

How to Use Diaries to Quantify FLW<\/h3>\n

This module provides an overview of the steps that should be undertaken to use diaries to gather information about FLW. Although these broad steps will apply to most cases, a professional statistician or researcher can further tailor the design of a diary to best meet the needs of a given situation.<\/p>\n

Step 1: Decide how participants will quantify FLW and for how long<\/h4>\n

In a diary study, participants can quantify FLW by weighing, measuring the volume or approximating FLW. Of these methods, weighing produces the most precise data, but it is also the most time-intensive for the participant and may be expensive, since participants might be given a scale.<\/p>\n

In determining the length of the study, consider the trade-off between a longer, more intensive diary period that will produce more data and the burden that it imposes on participants, who may be more likely to drop out of the study.<\/p>\n

Step 2: Identify how the diaries will be administered<\/h4>\n

Diaries can be administered in print by mail or electronically via a computer or smartphone app. Each method has advantages and disadvantages as shown in Table A2.<\/p>\n

Table A2. Advantages, Disadvantages <\/strong>and Examples of Diary Types<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Method<\/th>\nAdvantages<\/th>\nDisadvantages<\/th>\nExample<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Print<\/strong><\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Relatively low cost<\/li>\n
  • Allows for both visual and written prompts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
\n
    \n
  • Can become lost or damaged<\/li>\n
  • May be inconvenient and laborintensive for the participant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
See this sample print food waste diary<\/a> (WRAP 2012a).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Electronic<\/strong><\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • May be more convenient for the participant<\/li>\n
  • Allows for data to be saved and stored electronically<\/li>\n
  • Saves time on data entry<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
\n
    \n
  • Requires familiarity with technology and computers on the part of the participant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
See this sample food waste tracking spreadsheet (OpenIDEO n.d. )<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Smartphone app<\/strong><\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Most convenient option for participant<\/li>\n
  • Allows for use of photographs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
\n
    \n
  • Limits respondents to smartphone owners with technological capabilities<\/li>\n
  • Photographs without measurements may be difficult for the researcher to assess amounts of waste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
The app \u201cSmartIntake<\/a>\u201d is one example of a food waste tracking app\u2014it allows pictures to be taken before and after a meal and then sent to the researcher<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Source: Authors.<\/p>\n

Step 3: Identify respondent audience<\/h4>\n

In some cases, the participants in a diary study will be a discreet group. For surveys with a larger population of target respondents, a random sample may need to be developed, in which case a professional statistician should be consulted, although simple random sampling can be conducted when a list of the members of a population is available and complete (Laerd 2012).<\/p>\n

Step 4: Recruit participants<\/h4>\n

Participants in a diary study must be selected from the group being studied. Because keeping an FLW diary is a time-intensive commitment for participants, some sort of incentive may be necessary.<\/p>\n

Step 5: Prepare questions to quantify FLW<\/h4>\n

An effective FLW diary will provide fields for categories of data. Some common fields are:<\/p>\n