Offering sliced fruits and veggies can increase consumption by 70%! Hundreds or thousands of schools have implemented programs to reduce food waste and put the extra food to good use. A primary reason to care about wasted food in school lunchrooms is nutritional in nature; not surprisingly, much of the waste comes from healthy items. A Harvard Public Health Studyrevealed 60 percent of fresh vegetables and 40 percent of fresh fruit are being thrown away. How to Prevent Food Waste in Schools Food waste has been a longstanding issue in Canada, and unfortunately it persists into 2019. Also, training yourself and your staff on proper knife skills and cutting up fruits and veggies can reduce the amount of those fruits/veggies that you are wasting during the prep process. If food items are being placed on the share table that have food safety requirements, such as milk, all food safety procedures and temperature controls must be put into place as well. South Dakota State University adheres to AA/EEO guidelines in offering educational programs and services. As part of the STREFOWA project, Glopolis conducted a pilot action in 12 primary schools in the Czech Republic to address food waste in school canteens. USDA’s Team Nutrition Initiative has tons of resources available from posters to tip sheets for schools to hang up and utilize. But smart thinking could reduce the rubbish and needless spending. The research was divided into three parts: Questionnaires for teachers and pupils who eat in the school canteen. On average students at the elementary schools had only 18 minutes to sit and eat, however, the younger grades typically had less time than that. Americans waste enough food every day to fill a 90,000 seat football stadium. Promote the share table to children and families. ... check out WRAP’s great resources to help you get started on tackling food waste at school. One of the major issues we experienced in our school was wastage of food during snacks and lunch time. The SD Child and Adult Nutrition Services (CANS) Office has a Memo that specifically references the donation of leftover foods. A place easy to access … It rots in landfill producing methane, a gas more potent than carbon dioxide in creating climate change. Below is a roundup of strategies to reduce food waste from school lunches. During the purchasing process, ensure that only enough food is being purchased and that over purchasing is not occurring. If there is a surplus of a food item in storage, do not order more of that item until it is needed. Just as important to successfully teaching students about food waste, adds Trent, is having a surrounding community highly motivated to tackle the problem. Schools often produce tremendous amounts of waste with instructional materials, used electronics, and food. Food Waste in Schools and Strategies to Reduce It Food Recovery Hierarchy. For more information about Share Tables, check out the USDA, Implementing Smarter Lunchroom Strategies, was created to help nudge students towards more healthful food choices during lunchtime in schools. An example of a very basic food waste audit is the food service director standing by the trash can simply tallying how much of certain foods are being thrown in the trash – for example, fruits and vegetables. March 2, 2021 . This is allowable! This was the observation of one of the students who later discussed this issue with his classmates. Some food safety tips for Share Tables are as follows: For more information about Share Tables, check out the USDA memo "SP 41-2016: The Use of Share Tables in Child Nutrition Programs.". Teach children that food is perfectly good to eat even if it is close to its expiration date. There is a Smarter Lunchrooms Scorecard that schools can fill out to determine which strategies they are already doing and which ones they could implement. Luckily, you can make water tastier and reduce your food waste impact at the same time. Educate your customers (students) about menu items and meal requirements. Pilotaction 10: Reduce food waste in schools in the Czech Republic. They will appreciate the hard work that goes into growing food and likely waste less of it. Instead of using plastic straws and cutlery, for example, you could encourage the use of reusable items instead. Furthermore, if lunch can be extended from 20 to 30 minutes, it can reduce plate waste by nearly one-third. Minimising waste has a number of benefits for schools. Let students vote on new menu items to let you know if they liked it or not. South Dakota State University, South Dakota counties, and USDA cooperating. There are many ways people can reduce food waste, including properly storing food, freezing, pickling, and using food scraps in stocks and compost. Most studies show that scheduling recess before lunch has a big effect on reducing plate waste. Most people don't realize how much food they throw away every day — from uneaten leftovers to spoiled produce. One study revealed recess before lunch can decrease plate waste from students in Grades 3 … This article describes activities of grade 5 students undertaken to reduce food waste at school as part of their PYP exhibition journey. To try help reduce food waste in schools. SDSU Extension Family & Community Health Field Specialist. . The Smarter Lunchrooms Movement was created to help nudge students towards more healthful food choices during lunchtime in schools. Strategy 1: Prevent and reduce food wastage at source . Food waste has been a longstanding issue in Canada, and unfortunately it persists into 2019. Another great way to reduce food waste in schools is to preparing food fresh to order. 30-40% of the food is wasted. Utilizing smaller pan sizes on a salad bar is another way to help decrease food waste and allows for more options to be placed on the salad bar as well. But teachers and students can work collaboratively to reduce the amount of waste produced.