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
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Content: However, the federal reimbursement rate is the same for all school districts, and for schools districts like New York City, the price of food is so high that the gap between USDA reimbursement and the actual food cost exceeds a dollar per plate. This makes it exceptionally difficult to increase food quality, especially in lower income areas where free and reduced lunch is more prevalent (because fewer students are paying full plate price, so the reimbursement gap is more difficult to absorb). And, while parents would be thrilled to hear that their children are wasting less food, the increase in lunch price for a higher quality meal may drive more parents to pack their child’s lunch (reducing the rate of lunchroom eaters, thus reducing USDA funding for the following year). Foodservices need food buyers, and parents need food eaters

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The best solution may be to implement inexpensive yet effective practices that simultaneously reduce waste and encourage consumption of the federally required yet historically wasted fruits and vegetables. Extant research provides evidence that children can be nudged toward fruit and veggie choice and consumption in the lunchroom. For example, food naming and placement in the cafeteria can increase produce consumption by up to 70 percent. [ 6] Aside from food-focused strategies, seemingly unrelated components of the eating experience can also influence waste and consumption. For example, plate material has been shown to influence waste particularly in school lunchrooms, where disposable plates resulted in more food wasted than did permanent plates. [ 7] On the flip side, permanent plates resulted in more food taken and consumed from a buffet line. This result points to an important consideration for foodservice directors – that lunchroom serveware can be influential in both waste and consumption.