A Systems Examination of Food Packaging and Other Single-Use Item Waste in School Nutrition Programs

Nutrition quality and food and packaging waste associated with the school food system: A pilot, citizen science study in an Irish secondary school

BACKGROUND

School is an important setting for creating healthy and sustainable food environments. Using participatory methods, this pilot study examined food and packaging waste and nutrition quality within the school food system.

METHODS

One secondary school in Ireland participated in a waste audit. Eleven male students (15-17 years) participated as citizen scientists. Students collected waste over 1 day and documented data on waste categories. Nutrition labels were photographed for analysis. Students created a video and participated in a focus group. Quantitative data were summarised using descriptive frequencies. A Nutrient Profile Model was applied to summarise nutrition quality. The focus group discussion was analysed using content analysis.

RESULTS

Highest weights of waste were organic waste (14.2 kg), paper and cardboard (5.0 kg), and hard plastics (4.1 kg). Materials banned by the European Union Single Use Plastics Directive were found. Recycling bins were contaminated with food waste. Nutrition labels from 132 food packages were analysed, of which 115 items (87%) were low-nutrient, energy dense foods. Confectionary, energy bars and desserts and savoury snacks were the most common packaged food groups. Students were not surprised by the unhealthy food choices; however, they were shocked and saddened at the waste practices. Their proposed solutions mapped across individual, community and organisational levels.

CONCLUSIONS

The methodologies allowed successful engagement with students on this topic. The use of unnecessary plastics to serve food, poor waste separation practices, and the production of avoidable waste from low-nutrient, energy-dense products were key issues identified. Students proposed solutions that are achievable in the short-term.

Evaluating Food Packaging Waste in Schools: A Systematic Literature Review

Public schools in the U.S. generate about 14,500 tons of municipal solid waste daily, and approximately 42% of that is food packaging generated by school foodservice, contributing significantly to the global packaging waste crisis. This literature review summarizes methods used to evaluate food packaging waste in school foodservice. This review has two objectives: first, to understand which methodologies currently exist to evaluate food packaging waste generation and disposal in school foodservice; and second, to describe the creation of and share a practical standardized instrument to evaluate food packaging waste generation and disposal in school foodservice. A systematic review was conducted using the following search terms: solid waste, school, cafeteria and food packaging, waste, and school. The final review included 24 studies conducted in school environments (kindergarten through twelfth grade or college/university), 16 of which took place in the U.S. Food packaging waste evaluations included objective methods of waste audits, models, and secondary data as well as subjective methods of qualitative observations, questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups. Large variation exists in the settings, participants, designs, and methodologies for evaluating school foodservice packaging waste. Lack of standardization was observed even within each methodology (e.g., waste audit). A new instrument is proposed to support comprehensive and replicable data collection, to further the understanding of school foodservice food packaging waste in the U.S., and to reduce environmental harms.

Sustainability Recommendations and Practices in School Feeding: A Systematic Review

Considering the importance of schools for sustainable food offers and the formation of conscientious citizens on sustainability, this systematic review aimed to verify the recommendations on sustainability in school feeding policies and the sustainability practices adopted in schools. The research question that guided this study is "what are the recommendations on sustainability in school feeding policies and the sustainability practices adopted in schools?". This systematic review was prepared according to PRISMA, and its checklist was registered in PROSPERO. Specific search strategies for Scopus, Web of Science, Pubmed, Lilacs, Google Scholar, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global were developed. The included studies' methodological quality was evaluated using the Meta-Analysis Statistical Assessment and Review Instrument (MASTARI). A total of 134 studies were selected for a full reading. Of these, 50 met the eligibility criteria and were included in the systematic review. Several sustainability practices were described. The most cited are school gardens and education activities for sustainability. However, actions carried out in food services were also mentioned, from the planning of menus and the purchase of raw materials (mainly local and organic foods, vegetarian/vegan menus) to the distribution of meals (reduction of organic and inorganic waste: composting, recycling, donating food, and portion sizes). Recommendations for purchasing sustainable food (organic, local, and seasonal), nutrition education focused on sustainability, and reducing food waste were frequent; this reinforces the need to stimulate managers' view, in their most varied spheres, for the priority that should be given to this theme, so that education for sustainability is universally part of the curricula. The importance of education in enabling individuals to promote sustainable development is reaffirmed in Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4). The development of assessment instruments can help monitor the evolution of sustainable strategies at schools and the main barriers and potentialities related to their implementation.

The Efficacy and Cost-Effectiveness of Replacing Whole Apples with Sliced in the National School Lunch Program

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) serves 29.6 million lunches each day. Schools must offer ½ a cup of fruit for each lunch tray. Much of this fruit may be wasted, leaving the schools in a dilemma. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the consumption of whole vs. sliced apples and determine the cost-effectiveness of the intervention. Researchers weighed apple waste at baseline and three post-intervention time points in one rural Midwest school. The costs of the intervention were collected from the school. The cost-effectiveness analysis estimates how often apples need to be served to offset the costs of the slicing intervention. A total of (n = 313) elementary student students participated. Students consumed significantly more sliced as compared to whole apples in intervention months 3 (β = 21.5, p < 0.001) and 4 (β = 27.7, p < 0.001). The intervention cost was USD 299. The value of wasted apple decreased from USD 0.26 at baseline to USD 0.23 wasted at post-intervention. The school would need to serve 9403 apples during the school year (54 times) to cover the expenses of the intervention. In conclusion, serving sliced apples may be a cost-effective way to improve fruit consumption during school lunch.