HackMD
Sustainability Study: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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Table of Contents
General questions
What if I want to leave the study?
Answer
You are free to withdraw from the study at any time without giving any reason and without penalty. Please email the study team (dliuxi@essex.ac.uk) to let us know you wish to withdraw.
Please note that you will only receive study compensation if you have completed both study questionnaires (including the one on Day 10).
Logging meals and leftovers using the app
Do I have to log my drinks?
Answer
You should log drinks only if they provide substantial nutrition content. Examples are milk, fresh fruit juice, and smoothies. For portion sizes, 1 glass (250ml) of fruit juice or smoothie can be logged as 1 hand of fruit. Similarly, 1 glass (250ml) of milk can be also added as 1 hand of milk.
You do not have to log when you drink tea, coffee, or water.
What food categories do fruit juice and smoothies come under?
Answer
This depends on the content of these drinks. For example, fresh fruit juice (or made from frozen fruit) will contain fruit, and you should estimate the portions of fruit used. Smoothies may contain milk (or substitutes), fruit, and vegetables, so you should estimate the portions of each in the smoothie.
What about sweet drinks (e.g., soda, squash/juice from concentrate, fizzy drinks)?
Answer
You do not need to log these.
How do I log the "hand measure" portion size for foods that are in a glass (e.g., milk, smoothies)?
Answer
1 glass (250ml) of fruit juice or smoothie can be logged as 1 hand of fruit. Similarly, 1 glass (250ml) of milk can be also added as 1 hand of milk.
What food categories do breakfast cereals come under?
Answer
Many breakfast cereals from the supermarket are extremely processed and contain large amounts of added sugar. Therefore, these should be categorised as portions of confectionery. If you are consuming a plain breakfast cereal, or porridge oats, these would be considered to be grains.
What if I have completed the entry, but then eat something from the same meal again?
Answer
You will be asked when making an entry if you want to add a second course. If you have already said no to that question, then log this as a new meal.
What if I cook for/with my partner or family (and we have leftovers together)?
Answer
Only the food you yourself have planned to eat in the meal, which you then didn’t eat, counts as a leftover. Just log what was leftover from your portion (e.g., what is left on your plate).
What if I prepared food ahead for several days? Is the food I do not eat but prepared for later a leftover?
Answer
Only the food you have planned to eat for that meal, which you then didn’t eat, counts as a leftover. You do not need to log food that you prepared ahead of time to be eaten later.
Do I log frozen fruit and vegetables?
Answer
Yes, if you are eating them, please log these.
How do I log compound foods (e.g. pizza, sushi, lasagna, burger, … etc.)?
Answer
We don’t need precise recipe descriptions. You can name these foods simply (e.g., “pizza”). You can give a rough estimate of the food categories contained in the compound food.
Do I need to log every tiny thing that I eat?
Answer
Try to log as many events as you eat, but if it is indeed a very tiny quantity (e.g., a dash of milk added to coffee) you can skip it.
Does the estimated hand measure refer to uncooked or cooked food? (For example, mushrooms lose quite a bit of volume when cooked, while pasta becomes larger.)
Answer
Since the entry is supposed to be made right before eating, the hand measure refers to the food you are looking at when you are about to eat. If the food is cooked before eating, then measure cooked food. If you are eating uncooked food (e.g., raw carrots), measure the uncooked food.
What if I can’t log a meal at the moment?
Answer
Please try to log as many of your meals as possible. However, if you are in a situation in which you can’t log a meal, please log it later on under “Additional Entries”.
What can I do if I have taken a photo of my meal in the app but it is blurry/ does not capture the entire meal/ leftover?
Answer
You can take a new picture. This will automatically override the old photo. Photos are best taken at a 45 degree angle (this is a recommendation–-of course you do not need to adhere precisely to this angle).
Can I take more than one photo of my meal?
Answer
Unfortunately, it is only possible to add one photo per meal course/ leftover recorded.
If you have only had your first course, you can still take a photo of the second course in your meal later in the entry.
Can I correct my answers later on?
Answer
Please take your time to answer the questions. Later on, it is not possible to go back within the questionnaire to make corrections.
How should I name my meals?
Answer
Please try to find a very simple name which describes your meal. For instance instead of "Pasta bake with seasonal vegetables", you could simply describe the meal as "Pasta bake".
When I estimate the size of each food group in a meal or leftover, do I have to add zeros for all food groups which are not present?
Answer
No, you only have to enter the size of each food group present in your meal or leftover. You can leave blank the food groups that are not included in your meal or leftover.
Logging food discards using the app
What exactly is considered a food discard?
Answer
Food discards are food you would normally plan to eat.
You do not need to log parts of food you would always have thrown away as part of the meal preparation/cooking process (e.g., peels, core, stones).
Does the estimated hand measure refer to uncooked or cooked food discards?
Answer
Since the entry is supposed to be made right before throwing food away, the hand measure refers to the food you are looking at when you are about to discard it. If the food was already cooked, then measure cooked food. If it will be thrown away uncooked, measure the uncooked food.
Do I need to log every small item that I discard?
Answer
Please try and log all of your discards, even if they are small.
What if the food I am discarding comes from me and my family/household together?
Answer
Yes, whenever you discard food, please log it. You do not need to separate your discards from your family/household's.
Do I log frozen fruit and vegetables?
Answer
Yes, if you are throwing them away, please log these.
How do I log the “hand measure” portion size for discards that are liquid (e.g., milk, smoothies)?
Answer
1 glass (250ml) of fruit juice or smoothie can be logged as 1 hand of fruit. Similarly, 1 glass (250ml) of milk can be also added as 1 hand of milk.
What can I do if I have taken a photo of my food discard in the app but it is blurry/ does not capture the entire food discard?
Answer
You can take a new picture. This will automatically override the old photo. Photos are best taken at a 45 degree angle. (But this is a recommendation–-of course you do not need to adhere precisely to this angle.)
Do I always have to photograph my food and leftovers on a plate?
Answer
No, you are also welcome to photograph your meals/meal leftovers directly in a container/box/carton. However, please make sure the food can be seen (i.e., please do not photograph closed boxes or packaging). Also, please make sure the food is unwrapped (e.g., do not photograph it wrapped up in alumninium foil).
Can I take more than one photo of my food discard?
Answer
Unfortunately, it is only possible to add one photo per discard recorded.
Can I correct my answers later on?
Answer
Please take your time to answer the questions. Later on, it is not possible to go back within the questionnaire to make corrections.
When I estimate the size of each food group in a discard, do I have to add zeros for all food groups which are not present?
Answer
No, you only have to enter the size of each food group present in the discard. You can leave blank the food groups that are not included in your meal or leftover.
How do I log different types of food waste?
Answer
We make three distinctions for different types of food waste, which you can select from:
- meal leftovers, which refers to food that you served yourself to eat and that was left over after your meal.
- other leftovers of prepared food, which can be food from a meal that you cooked but did not serve, and you later discard.
- other food waste refers to unprepared/uncooked food items that are discarded.
Technical issues
What if I accidentally clicked on a log when I didn’t intend to?
Answer
The questionnaire form that you accidentally clicked will time out after a while. You can ignore it and carry on other logs from the home screen when you are ready to log your entries.
My app is not working. What do I do?
Answer
If you run into technical difficulties, you can email us (dliuxi@essex.ac.uk).
If your app data is not reaching us, we may also email you to check if you have technical difficulties.
Do I need to be connected to the Internet all the time for the app to work?
Answer
Your data is stored locally on your phone so you do not need to be connected when you are logging your entries.
But please make sure your phone is connected to the Internet (e.g., Wifi) for at least 1hr each day so it can send the data to the research team.
If we do not receive any of the logs, we may contact you to check if you are having technical difficulties.
What can I do if I have taken a photo in the app but it is blurry/ does not capture the entire meal/ leftover/ discard?
Answer
You can take a new picture. This will automatically override the old photo. Photos are best taken at a 45 degree angle. (But this is a recommendation–-of course you do not need to adhere precisely to this angle.)
Can I take more than one photo?
Answer
Unfortunately, it is only possible to add one photo per meal course/ leftover/ discard recorded.
Can I correct my answers later on?
Answer
Please take your time to answer the questions. Later on, it is not possible to go back within the questionnaire to make corrections.
