School and meal characteristics associated with plate waste in K-12 cafeterias in the United States.

ABSTRACT: Food wasted in primary and secondary education institutions creates nutritional losses, financial inefficiencies, and environmental degradation. While there is some evidence of how particular interventions within schools may influence the amount of waste created, there is little recent information about typical levels of food waste generated in U.S. primary and secondary schools and how waste correlates with school and meal characteristics. We analyze data reported by more than 100 schools from 24 states as part of the World Wildlife Fund's Food Waste Warriors project and identify how plate and beverage waste from school lunches are associated with school and meal service characteristics. We find schools that permit students to choose their own amount of milk report 76% less milk waste tha

SUBMITTER: Adjapong ES 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11676535 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature