School lunch nutritional adequacy: what is served, consumed and wasted

Abstract

Objective: To determine nutritional adequacy of school lunch and to assess the impact of food waste on nutrient intake of primary school children. Design: The weighing method was used for evaluating initial servings and plate waste for lunch. Energy and nutritional content of meals served, consumed and wasted were estimated using the software Food Processor Plus. The mean nutritional value of food served and consumed, was compared with dietary guidelines. Setting: Portuguese public primary schools in the city of Porto. Participants: All 525 fourth-grade children, aged from 9 to 10 years old, attending to 21 public primary schools. Results: Overall, school lunches served did not meet the dietary guidelines for energy and nutrients, as only 12.5% of the evaluated meals were adequate for energy, 33.5% for proteins, 11.9% for carbohydrates and 57.1% for lipids. The majority of meals served were below the age-specific lower limit, namely for energy (83.7%) and carbohydrates (86.8%). The only exception, also unbalanced, was observed for proteins, as 42.4% of lunches served exceeded the recommended upper limit. Furthermore, lunches served and consumed by children did not meet the dietary guidelines for fibre and for the micronutrients evaluated. Children wasted 26% of the calories provided in lunches, corresponding to 91.5kcal, 25% of proteins and 29% of carbohydrates supplied. Conclusions: The lunches served and consumed by children at school canteens failed to meet nutritional standards. These results are not only a consequence of inadequate food portions served but also a result of the high plate waste values observed.

Nutrient-Level Evaluation of Meals Provided on the Government-Funded School Lunch Program in New Zealand

“…The protein levels provided in the Ka Ora, Ka Ako meals were not high when compared to what has been reported in studies of school lunch program provision internationally. In particular, the protein levels of the years 4–8 meals in Ka Ora, Ka Ako were lower than those reported in studies of lunch programs in China [ 21 ], Slovenia [ 25 ], Sweden [ 26 ], Finland [ 26 ], Iceland [ 26 ], and Portugal [ 27 ].…”

“…The Ka Ora, Ka Ako meals contained less than a third of daily energy needs but most other nutrients analyzed were provided in levels which exceeded a third of daily needs, indicating that the meals on the program were very nutrient-rich, low-kilojoule meals. A large number of the international studies of school lunch provision have also found that energy provision was low compared to their country specific standards/recommendations [ 21 , 25 , 26 , 27 ].…”

“…Most studies have predominantly investigated the macronutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates), energy, and fiber in the school lunch meals, with a select few also analyzing a more thorough range of vitamins and minerals. Overall, there was a trend in the literature showing that meals provided on the lunch programs internationally tended to not meet the country-specific standards for carbohydrates (below the country-specific standards in Thailand, Slovenia, Sweden, China, Ghana, Portugal, and Iceland), energy (below standards in Thailand, Ghana, Slovenia, Finland, China, Iceland, Portugal, and Sweden), and fiber (below the country-specific standards in USA, Sweden, Finland, and Portugal) [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]. These studies emphasize the importance of conducting nutrition-focused evaluations of school lunch programs, as even in countries with long-standing programs and nutrient standards, there are still clear areas for improvement.…”

Evaluation of Food Waste at a Portuguese Geriatric Institution

“…In food service, it may occur at all stages of the food production system, including storage, meal preparation, cooking and distribution [17,21,22]. Monitoring plate waste (corresponding to food that is served but not consumed) allows for the evaluation of the adequacy of portions in relation to consumers' needs as well as menu acceptability [13,23]. According to several authors, food waste below 10% is considered acceptable [24,25].…”

“…According to several authors, food waste below 10% is considered acceptable [24,25]. Plate waste in hospitals and geriatric institutions has been found to be higher than in other food service settings [7,10,16,20,22,23].…”