Title: Why Reducing Food Waste in School Meal Programs Matters – Healthy Food Choices in Schools
Headings: Why Reducing Food Waste in School Meal Programs Matters
Why Reducing Food Waste in School Meal Programs Matters
Wasted Food is Wasted Nutrition
Unintended Effects of Nutritional Policy
Profitability is Independent of Consumer Waste
Foodservices need food buyers, and parents need food eaters
Contributor

Content: In fact, waste may amount to almost $5 million a day across all 31.6 million national school lunch eaters. An important consideration is that the USDA currently reimburses school lunchrooms $3.07 for each free lunch and $2.67 for a reduced price lunch; [ 5] with 21.5 million free and reduce lunch eaters, the potential daily waste of USDA funds exceeds $16 million if everyone wastes a 75 cent orange or apple. Profitability is Independent of Consumer Waste
All things considered, the business incentive for a school foodservice director is not in line with food waste reduction; directors are under pressure to get students to buy lunch, not necessarily to eat lunch. School lunchrooms are primarily self-funded in terms of labor and infrastructure, and the number of lunch goers this year determines a school’s USDA food funding next year. So, the question becomes: Is there any business incentive for foodservice directors to reduce food waste? Only if it improves the bottom line. Some have argued that serving higher quality food would attenuate the waste issue and increase revenue by increasing consumption.