Food Waste in Schools: A Pre-/Post-test Study Design Examining the Impact of a Food Service Training Intervention to Reduce Food Waste

Sara A. Elnakib, Virginia Quick, Mariel Mendez, Shauna Downs, Olivia A. Wackowski and Mark G. Robson
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Sara A. Elnakib: Department of Family and Community Health Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Virginia Quick: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Mariel Mendez: Department of Family and Community Health Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Shauna Downs: Department of Urban-Global Public Health, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
Olivia A. Wackowski: Department of Health Behavior, Society and Policy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
Mark G. Robson: Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 12, 1-13

Abstract: This study aimed to assess change in school-based food waste after training and implementing the Smarter Lunchrooms Movement (SLM) strategies with school food service workers. This non-controlled trial was implemented in a random sample of 15 elementary and middle schools in a Community Eligibility Program school district in the Northeast, the United States. Baseline and post-intervention food waste measurements were collected at two different time points in each school ( n = 9258 total trays measured). Descriptive statistics, independent t -tests, and regression analyses were used to assess SLM strategies’ impact on changes in percent food waste. The mean number of strategies schools implemented consistently was 7.40 ± 6.97 SD, with a range of 0 to 28 consistent strategies. Independent t -tests revealed that at pos t -test, there was a significant ( p < 0.001) percent reduction (7.0%) in total student food waste and for each food component: fruit (13.6%), vegetable (7.1%), and milk (4.3%). Overall, a training session on food waste and the SLM strategies with school-based food service workers reduced school food waste. However, the extent of the training and SLM strategies to reduce food waste varied on the basis of the consistency and type of strategies implemented.

Keywords: food waste; plate waste; school lunch; cafeteria interventions; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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