Food Waste in the National School Lunch Program 1978-2015: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background Food waste studies have been used for more than 40 years to assess nutrient intake, dietary quality, menu performance, food acceptability, cost, and effectiveness of nutrition education in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Objective Describe methods used to measure food waste and respective results in the NSLP across time. Methods A systematic review using PubMed, Science Direct, Informaworld, and Institute of Scientific Information Web of Knowledge was conducted using the following search terms: waste, school lunch, plate waste, food waste, kitchen, half method, quarter method, weight, and photography. Studies published through June 2015 were included. The systematic review followed preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses recommendations. Results The final review included 53 articles. Food waste methodologies included in-person visual estimation (n=11), digital photography (n=11), direct weighing (n=23), and a combination of in-person visual estimation, digital photography, and/or direct weighing (n=8). A majority of studies used a pre–post intervention or cross-sectional design. Fruits and vegetables were the most researched dietary component on the lunch tray and yielded the greatest amount of waste across studies. Conclusions Food waste is commonly assessed in the NSLP, but the methods are diverse and reporting metrics are variable. Future research should focus on establishing more uniform metrics to measure and report on food waste in the NSLP. Consistent food waste measurement methods will allow for better comparisons between studies. Such measures may facilitate better decision making about NSLP practices, programs, and policies that influence student consumption patterns across settings and interventions.

Milk Consumption and Waste Across 5 Montana High School Lunch Programs

“…The amount of wasted foods and beverages in a cafeteria is important to understand as uneaten meal components essentially wastes nutrients, in addition to economic and environmental resources. Milk has remained a stable and positive beverage in the National School Lunch Program meal patterns over time and is not a large contributor to waste relative to other food groups, even among high schoolers as demonstrated in this study 13 The primary concern about serving flavored milk is the added sugar present in the beverage.…”

“…Recent observational studies have indicated that waste is a concern with the implementation of the updated National School Lunch Program nutrition standards, although similar amounts of waste have been present in the program over time 11‐13 . One study comparing overall milk consumption pre‐ and post‐National School Lunch Program nutrition standards implementation demonstrated an overall reduction in the amount of milk selected by students, but hypothesized that students would acclimate to the new milk options over time 14 …”

An Evaluation of Current Lunchroom Food Waste and Food Rescue Programs in a Washington State School District

“…This is due in large part to the differing methodologies used and different endpoints reported. A systematic review of food waste related research reveals that methods such as direct weighing, digital photography, in-person visual estimation, and a combination of such methods effectively measure lunchroom waste; however, measuring and reporting results from different methods creates inconsistencies across food waste research (Byker Shanks, Banna, & Serrano, 2017). Different observation periods, study designs, and characterization of food waste results, such as by weight, calories, and observation, also contribute to challenges in comparing findings in the current food waste literature (Byker Shanks et al, 2017).…”

“…Studies have also shown that regulating the types of food items that students take in the lunch line, such as requiring one fruit and one vegetable for a federally subsidized lunch, increases food waste (Cohen et al, 2013;Niaki, Moore, Chen, & Weber, 2017). In addition, studies have determined that nutrientdense items, especially fruits and vegetables, are wasted more by weight and by total amount than less nutritious foods such as refined grains and animal products (Amin, Yong, Taylor, & Johnson, 2015;Byker, Farris, Marcenelle, Davis, & Serrano, 2014;Byker Shanks et al, 2017;Cohen et al, 2013;Marlette, Templeton, & Panemangalore, 2005;Spiker et al, 2017). In contrast, research studies have found that new NSLP minimum and maximum nutrient standards improve the fruit and vegetable intake of middle schoolers, thus reducing waste (Bergman, Englund, Taylor, Watkins, Schepman, & Rushing, 2014;Cohen et al, 2013).…”

Using Two Government Food Waste Recognition Programs to Understand Current Reducing Food Loss and Waste Activities in the U.S.

“…To minimize school waste, it is important to analyze historical data to produce the amount of food need to serve students [43]. Measuring plate waste is a way to evaluate children's nutrient intake, dietary quality, menu performance, cost, and effectiveness of nutrition education in NSLP [44]. Several studies that explore how interventions change plate waste generated in schools, such as at recess before and after lunch periods [45], new changes made in school lunch programs [46], and food choice [47].…”