Food waste is a global problem. School food waste before the point of purchase, pre-consumer waste, has been little studied.
Our aim was to elicit a comprehensive assessment and understanding of ...pre-consumer food waste amounts, behaviors, policies, and attitudes.
This study used mixed methods, featuring a convergent parallel design using key respondent interviews (n=20) and 80 hours of structured kitchen observations, including food waste measurement.
School and district kitchens (n=14) using stratified random sampling to ensure school level and kitchen type reflected the population of three Colorado school districts in 2016-2017. Kitchen managers, district-level nutrition services directors, and sustainability staff were interviewed.
Mean food waste volumes and percentages were calculated. Linear regressions were used to determine the relationship between school kitchen characteristics and food waste volumes. Interviews were coded to identify common themes.
Trim waste and overproduction contributed the most to overall pre-consumer food waste; substandard foods and overproduction were the most common reasons for edible waste. Several competing priorities conflicted with schools’ and districts’ waste reduction efforts: food safety, promoting diet quality, food choice, and customer satisfaction. Batch cooking, production record use, shallow salad bar pans, and other inventory management techniques facilitated waste reduction. Staffing, space, and time constraints made it more difficult to implement these strategies. Increased food choice options were positively associated with pre-consumer waste volume (β=49.5, P=0.04), and this relationship remained significant once regression models adjusted for district, salad bar use, and new menu items (β=70.3, P=0.05).
School nutrition programs are complex, and a systems approach is warranted to reduce overall waste in the context of existing food safety and nutrition policies. More research is needed to elucidate the impact of food choice on overall food waste of the school meal system.
Schools are a major source of food waste and an important setting for achieving dietary improvements. Few studies explore the links between food waste and nutrition. This study measured individual ...plate waste of about 1700 primary school children in peri-urban Viet Nam, adding to evidence on school food waste in low- and middle-income countries. We used survey data to explore whether food waste is associated with personal characteristics such as sex, knowledge and attitudes about nutritious foods. Qualitative interviews and focus groups with teachers, parents, food providers and children helped identify potential causes of food waste. The average student wasted 23% of the food served (approximately 85 g) during lunch, which roughly equates to 15.3 kg of food in a school year. Vegetables were wasted most: children left almost half of their portion unconsumed. Boys wasted less food than girls. Better knowledge and attitudes about fruits and vegetables are associated with less waste of these foods. A large portion was associated with a higher share of wasted food, suggesting the potential trade-off between efforts to cut food waste and efforts to increase consumption of nutritious foods. Students were dissatisfied with the quality of the dishes, especially vegetables were evaluated as undercooked, served too cold and too oily. To reduce food waste, it is critical for schools to prepare food in line with students’ preferences. Food waste reduction could be treated as an intermediate step towards ultimate policy goals such as healthier food consumption.
This study explored the challenges and opportunities faced by schools in utilising the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) to achieve educational goals in South Africa. The NSNP was ...established in post-apartheid South Africa as a poverty alleviation and educational democratisation measure to improve educational access, attendance, and participation outcomes of learners from poor socio-economic backgrounds. The thesis of this paper was informed by Maslow’s theory of the hierarchy of needs to explain how food is a basic need for learners to ascend to the level of learning aspirations. The study adopted a phenomenological paradigm and a qualitative research approach. Purposive sampling was employed to select 2 secondary school principals, 8 teachers responsible for NSNP and 10 learners who were beneficiaries of the NSNP within a rural community setting. The study used face-to-face and focus group interviews and observations for data collection. Data was analysed and interpreted thematically. The study revealed that challenges such as poor hygienic conditions, poor quality and poor nutrition value of the menu, and consumption of teaching and learning time compromised the quality of NSNP provision in schools. However, despite these challenges, schools in rural communities use the NSNP for school attendance. Keywords: National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP), South Africa, Educational Goals, Maslow’s Theory, Socio-economic Development
Abstract Objective This study aims to define the food security status of Illinois university students and whether sociodemographic characteristics are related to that status. Design A cross-sectional ...research design was used to analyze the food security status of undergraduate Illinois university students, employing a survey containing the Household Food Security Survey Module that was distributed via e-mail to student participants. Setting Four public Illinois universities were highlighted, including Eastern Illinois University, Northern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University, and Western Illinois University. Participants A total of 1,882 undergraduate students participated in the research study in April, 2013. Main Outcome Measure Variables include food security status and sociodemographic characteristics such as age, sex, race, and academic standing. Analysis Statistical analysis included frequencies and chi-square tests. Results The percentage of student respondents in the total sample who were considered food insecure was 35.0%. There were significant relationships between food security status and sociodemographic variables including race, grade point average, loan use, and living location. Conclusions and Implications This study suggests that 35% of respondents were food insecure based on quantitative assessment. Understanding the significant relationship between food security status and race, grade point average, loan use, and living location may be useful in developing services for those in need.
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are a major source of calories in the diets of American children and adolescents. These beverages, which contain mainly sugar and few beneficial nutrients, have been ...linked to overweight, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, dental caries, and other adverse conditions. Children of all ages consume SSBs, and schools, aided by the knowledge and direction of school nurses, can help students understand the health harms of SSBs, implement programs to discourage SSB intake, and play important roles in school and community efforts to limit SSBs.
Background: Food insecurity is increasing due to economic recession, resulting in childhood malnutrition, a risk factor for adult morbidities. Strategies to prevent and combat it are being ...implemented. This study aimed to evaluate the menus used in school feeding programs and their impact on the health and well-being of children in South Africa.Methods: A cross-sectional survey of nine primary schools in four South African provinces—Gauteng, Western Cape, North- West, and KwaZulu-Natal—was conducted between April 2022 and May 2022. Three schools were randomly selected per province, totaling 36 respondents—comprising a principal/NSNP coordinator, a teacher, and a food handler per school. An observational checklist was also employed. Weekly menus at each school were obtained, and dietary intake data were evaluated using the NutriSurvey application and the South African Food Composition table. Qualitative data were thematically analyzed using an inductive approach in Atlas. Ti software, while Microsoft Excel was utilized for the checklist.Results: The surveys indicated that in-school nutrition programs have positively impacted schoolchildren’s well-being and academic performance. Menu evaluation revealed that most National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) lunch meals did not provide up to 25-30% of the children’s recommended dietary allowance (RDA), but the Tiger Brands Foundation (TBF) breakfast augmented this by providing an additional 10-20% of the RDAs. Regarding breakfast meals, the highest mean RDA met per week was for calcium (21%), while Gauteng lunch had the highest mean RDA met values for most nutrients, including protein (15%), vitamin A (78%), vitamin B9 (37%), vitamin B12 (140%), vitamin C (33%), and iron (29%). The health checklist showed that all respondents affirmed that the children were generally healthy.Conclusion: The school feeding menus contribute to the percentage of RDAs met for essential nutrients and the well-being of children, although the contribution is not significant, as not all RDAs meet the 25-30% requirement. However, incorporating foods like meat (despite being expensive), eggs and fruits into the menus could enhance protein supply and increase the percentage of RDAs met.
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, elementary and junior high schools across Japan were temporarily closed and school lunches unavailable from March to late May 2020. From December 2020 to January ...2021, a self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted among 14 members and associate members of the Association of School Food and Nutrition Education, who are nutrition teachers and school nutrition staffs. The first action after the temporary closure of schools was to control foodstuffs, and the handling of fresh food and daily food products was either suspended or cancelled. The most difficult aspect of the suspension of school lunches was food management. Simultaneously, refunds had to be arranged for payments to vendors and school lunch fees. During school closures, cleaning work was carried out and preparations made to restart school lunches (ascertaining the number of meals for dispersed students, preparing meeting documents), and information was distributed using information and communications technology (ICT) or print. After schools reopened, school lunches were provided in line with COVID-19 prevention measures. To ensure disaster-preparedness, the following measures were implemented: maintaining close contact with local government, making various arrangements with food suppliers and food service contractors, creating and developing appropriate menus, and accumulating ICT teaching materials.
•About 75% of school pre-consumer food waste was landfilled.•Liability concerns, costs, inconsistent wasted food volumes, and policy confusion hindered school food recovery.•Share tables and donating ...milk to food banks prior to holidays were viewed as the most feasible food recovery options.•School staff may need training on permitted food recovery activities and help promoting share table use among the school community.•A key facilitator of school food recovery is the desire to normalize food recovery among the next generation.
Food recovery is a key strategy to address food waste concerns. School nutrition programs have significant amounts of food waste; yet, little is known about the prevalence and feasibility of school food recovery. In this mixed methods study, we identify potential school food recovery options and relevant systems factors, such as policies, resources, barriers, and competing priorities. To achieve these objectives, we conducted pre-consumer food waste audits and measured all wasted food recovered or landfilled at 14 school kitchens across three Northern Colorado school districts. Additionally, we interviewed professionals engaged in food recovery (n = 8) and school nutrition and sustainability staff (n = 20). The results indicate that the majority of food waste is landfilled, but food donation through share tables and appropriation of milk to food banks prior to long school breaks were viewed as the most feasible food recovery options. Liability concerns, increased expenses over landfilling, inconsistent wasted food volumes, and policy confusion hindered food recovery. Interviewees also viewed priorities to promote food safety and quality of recovered food as barriers. Key facilitators of food recovery were the desire to facilitate a cultural change to normalize food recovery among students and volunteers or advocates to address the food recovery labor needs. Interview participants across the system agreed that the training process required to sort uneaten foods had secondary benefits of equipping the next generation with environmental stewardship habits. Study findings underscore the interconnected nature of food safety, economics, and food recovery, and also suggest that systems-level solutions are warranted.
Emerging evidence suggests a link between young people's interest in alternative food production practices and dietary quality. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a ...student-driven sustainable food systems education and promotion intervention on adolescent school lunch selection, consumption, and waste behaviors. Sixth grade science teachers at two middle schools (
= 268 students) implemented a standards-based curriculum on sustainable food systems, addressing the environmental impacts of food choices and food waste. The cumulating curriculum activity required the 6th grade students to share their food systems knowledge with their 7th and 8th grade counterparts (
= 426) through a cafeteria promotional campaign to discourage food waste. School-wide monthly plate waste assessments were used to evaluate changes in vegetable consumption and overall plate waste using a previously validated digital photography method. At baseline, the intervention students consumed significantly less vegetables relative to the control group (47.1% and 71.8% of vegetables selected, respectively (
= 0.006). This disparity was eliminated after the intervention with the intervention group consuming 69.4% and the control consuming 68.1% of selected vegetables (
= 0.848). At five months follow up, the intervention group wasted significantly less salad bar vegetables compared to the control group (24.2 g and 50.1 g respectively (
= 0.029). These findings suggest that food systems education can be used to promote improved dietary behaviors among adolescent youth.
Identify types of food packaging used in school nutrition programs and competing priorities, barriers, and facilitators for sustainable packaging waste use and recovery.
Qualitative interviews ...(n = 20) and structured kitchen observations were conducted.
Data were collected from 3 school districts in Northern Colorado.
Three nutrition program directors, 14 kitchen managers, and 3 sustainability staff.
Barriers and facilitators for sustainable food packaging waste practices among school nutrition programs.
Interviews were recorded and transcribed, followed by inductive content analysis to identify themes.
Commonly used food packaging included cardboard, aluminum, paper, plastic, and styrofoam. Four competing priorities were identified as impacting school nutrition programs' ability to reduce or recover food packaging: serving line speed, labor, food quality, and cost. One key barrier was that school staff had difficulty understanding the total system impact of their food packaging use and recovery decisions.
Food packaging is commonly used in school nutrition programs, and participants felt that its use offered key benefits, such as facilitating faster serving lines. More research is needed to quantify the direct and indirect impacts of packaging waste reduction and recovery in school nutrition programs.
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