When it comes to addressing environmental and nutritional challenges in America, reducing school food waste sits central.
And the statistics are startling. According to a study conducted by the World Wildlife Fund, national food waste in America amounts to approximately 530K tons annually—this translates into 1.9M tons of CO2 emissions, 20.9B gallons of water… and a whopping $1.7B USD.
What’s more is that beyond environmental impact alone, food waste in schools also underscores a missed opportunity for improving student nutrition.
Since schools are essential hubs for both learning and nourishment, our educational infrastructure plays a key role in teaching students about food’s value as well as the importance of adopting sustainable practices.
Therefore, waste-reducing initiatives must be implemented, including portion control, food recovery programs, and composting. If done correctly, schools can promote healthier eating habits while simultaneously decreasing their environmental footprint.
Let’s examine how to reduce food waste in schools.
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One of the first steps a school should take is to conduct a food waste audit that focuses on collaboration between staff members and students. This is a powerful tool for implementing food waste management in schools. According to the USDA, there are some key steps to take when introducing an audit, including:
Including students in an audit is a best practice as it not only helps to reduce food waste, but it instructs them on the reasons why food conservation is important. This enables them to become advocates for reducing cafeteria waste and learning about the weight of their choices on the environment and the community they live in.
Recognized as a proven strategy in reducing waste from school lunches, OVS gives students the option to refuse certain components of a meal, including fruits, vegetables, or bread—as opposed to automatically being served all items. In turn, this allows students to have a choice about what they intend to eat, which minimizes the amount of food that is thrown in the trash bin.
And the impact of OVS is quite considerable. Studies have shown that when students are offered a choice, they are more likely to consume what they take, which leads to better nutritional outcomes alongside efficient school meal distribution.
Of course, there are grade-specific implementation approaches to OVS. For instance:
OVS is an effective approach to raising awareness about food waste and engaging students.
Effective menu planning and marketing to the student body are also central to minimizing food waste in school cafeterias.
One powerful approach is promoting new menu items via taste tests and creating a student advisory board that is consulted in the process. This allows students to try new foods in a low-pressure environment while encouraging feedback. In turn, interest in varied menu items can be assessed before inventory is ordered and food items are rolled out at lunchtime.
Then, the use of a student advisory board, which can be comprised of children from all grade levels, can be used to better understand preferences and create a menu that appeals to the majority.
This type of feedback can also enable nutrition staff to identify ideal portion sizes. If students are not overwhelmed by food, that means they can finish their meal, and less goes to waste.
A USDA study notes that schools who use these strategies can experience up to a 30% reduction in food waste, creating a more sustainable cafeteria environment.
Another approach to encourage students to finish meals is by giving them more time to eat and enjoy their meals. Studies show that when a student feels rushed, they are less likely to finish their meal, which leads to waste.
In fact, a survey conducted by NPR and the Harvard School of Public Health found that parents of children in grades Kindergarten through 5th reported that their kids have only 15 minutes or less to eat during lunch.
When lunchtime is extended to at least 30 minutes, students are more likely to:
Schools that opt not to rush students through lunchtime see a positive impact—both in reducing lunch waste and realizing student well-being.
Share tables are a popular way to control cafeteria food waste. These tables promote the redistribution of unopened and unused food to students who may still be hungry and want more food.
Students are encouraged to place unwanted but still-safe food items, such as packaged snacks, fruits, or drinks where other kids can take them. This minimizes what is discarded and prevents perfectly good food from finding its way to a landfill.
To set up and manage share tables, schools should follow these guidelines:
Share tables, when properly implemented, can create a culture that supports food conversation in schools.
The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act provides liability protection for schools that donate food in good faith. It is a federal law that was signed in 1996 and was designed to protect schools and other food donors from legal repercussions when donating food to nonprofit organizations, so long as the donation is made with the intent to help those in need and operating with the assumption the food is safe.
The law offers leftover redistribution strategies to donate surplus food instead of throwing it away.
Best practices associated with this law include:
All of these approaches can make school cafeterias more efficient and make a positive impact on the community.
Yet another sustainable solution for managing food waste, school composting programs turn organic waste into nutrient-rich compost, diverting food scraps from landfills, reducing greenhouse emissions, and creating valuable compost that can be used in landscaping and gardening.
And in the scheme of things, that’s important as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that approximately 30% of the garbage generated in schools is food waste.
To get started with a school composting program, follow these tips:
Additionally, the EPA and National Recycling Coalition can offer step-by-step guidance to school districts on implementing such a program. These toolkits offer strategies for composting along with educational materials for students and best practices for creating an effective school-wide waste reduction initiative.
The “3 Rs”—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle—promote a philosophy that cuts down on unnecessary products, such as single use items (like plastic water bottles) or excess packaging.
Reusing materials like containers and paper helps extend their lifecycle, while recycling ensures that materials like plastic, glass, and metals are processed and repurposed.
For a school to implement a program centered on the 3 Rs, it’s key to utilize a Model Recycling Program Toolkit, which provides guidance on setting up an effective recycling program.
Some points covered in a toolkit like this include:
The EPA promotes these programs because they can significantly result in waste being diverted from landfills, thereby reducing a school’s environmental footprint.
Creating and introducing curricula is a great way to teach students about sustainability and waste reduction. Hands-on projects, such as a food waste audit, composting activities, and brainstorming on ways to reduce waste, let students play an active role in helping their schools while also protecting the environment.
Using resources like “The Quest for Less,” a guide by the EPA, enables teachers to introduce fun activities to their classrooms. Plus, service-learning projects encourage students to take their learning outside of school by partnering with local nonprofit organizations and community food pantries. In turn, students apply their knowledge to real-world situations and build a sense of responsibility toward environmental stewardship.
Student green teams are groups of kids that take ownership of waste reduction initiatives within their schools and communities. They typically organize food waste audits, promote composting and recycling programs, and set up and monitor share tables.
These teams act as ambassadors and seek to educate their peers about why food conservation and sustainability is important to protecting the earth.
Plus, by involving students in these projects, schools empower them to take responsibility for their environmental impact, encouraging them to grow into the role of being leaders of sustainability both in the short and long-term.
Parents and students can adopt simple strategies to pack eco-friendly, waste-free lunches while learning how to reduce food waste in schools:
Tracking food waste metrics is key for the evaluation process and determining success and/or areas for improvement. Schools can collect data through food waste audits, monitoring trends in discarded foods, and categorizing waste by type.
In turn, they will be provided actionable insights, which can lead to adjusted portion sizes, menu offering refinement, and other strategies like the introduction of composting programs.
Additionally, these metrics can inform policy changes at the district level, which can lead to large-scale change and build a long-term culture of waste reduction.
Expanding food waste reduction programs across school districts can make a big impact. For example, programs like California’s Food Waste Prevention Week have shown how targeted campaigns can reduce waste by educating students and staff. Similarly, schools in Minnesota have successfully implemented share tables, composting programs, and menu adjustments, reducing waste by up to 25% district-wide.
Sharing best practices is vital for scaling to be realized. Districts can hold workshops, establish collaboration networks, and create online forums for schools to exchange success stories and valuable lessons. Additionally, partnership with local community groups and government agencies can also provide resources and support bigger and more intense efforts.
Running a school lunch program shouldn’t feel like a never-ending to-do list. The School Lunch Success Kit is your one-stop resource, giving you everything you need to keep things organized, safe, and engaging.
What’s Inside: