Food Waste in Schools: An Intervention of Randomized Schools on the Reduction of Food Waste

Abstract

for-profits, universities, and hospitals, partner with schools to provide nutrition education programs (NEPs). Objective: This study assessed NEPs in NYC schools. Study Design, Setting, Participants, Intervention: Cross sectional study of the 40 organizations that run 101 NEPs in NYC schools in the 1,840 NYC public schools. Outcome Measures and Analysis: Survey completed by organizations that run NEPs with questions on organizational structure, program characteristics, and schools worked with during 2016-17 school year; and publically available data from NYC Department of Education on school demographics. Descriptive statistical analysis. Results: Most NEPs surveyed (68%) have ≤10 full time staff. Forty-three percent of NEPs started after 2011. Common student activities include cooking (69%), classroom lessons (66%), gardening (46%), and field trips (31%). Reported barriers include limited time for NEPs (37%) and limited space for implementation (34%). Overall, 56% of NYC schools had at least one NEP. Only 27% of schools had more than one. NEPs were evenly distributed across schools with varying percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced price lunch and percentage Black and Hispanic students. NEPs varied by school type: 69% of elementary schools had one or more NEP; 50% of middle schools; and 32% of high schools. A previous study from 2011-2012 found 39% of elementary schools in the NYC boroughs of Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens had one or more NEPs. An analysis of elementary schools in these boroughs for the 2016-2017 data found a rate of 71%. Conclusions and Implications: There are not enough NEPs being implemented in NYC schools for students to receive the full benefits of nutrition education. Policy makers, researchers, funders, and advocates need to effectively collaborate for more schools to have more NEPs. This study can be a model for other cities, regions, or states to conduct landscape assessments of NEPs.