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: 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. 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.