Several strategies may lower plate waste in School Feeding Programs

Food Review, Summer-Fall, 2002 by Joanne F. Guthrie, Jean C. Buzby

Increasing Meal Flexibility Lowers Waste

The offer versus serve provision for school meal service typically allows students to choose two or more USDA meal-pattern items offered (see box on school meal programs), and in many schools, offer versus serve has been coupled with strategies to match serving portions to children's appetites, such as self-service bars. As implemented in some school districts, the offer versus serve provision has increased fruit and vegetable consumption, probably by offering more choices. For example, many elementary schools in Oregon offer a "Food Pyramid Choice Menu" that features six or more fruit and vegetable choices. Daily food waste decreased by as much as 36 percent in participating school districts, according to the Oregon Department of Education, and students ate more fruits, vegetables, and grains.

Schools that participate in the NSLP and serve lunch to senior high school students are required to implement the offer versus serve provision. Offer versus serve has also become common in junior high, middle, and elementary schools. For example, close to 90 percent of elementary schools used the offer versus serve provision in the 1997-98 school year. Schools that do not use the provision serve complete meals to all students.

Because the variations in appetite and energy needs among students are probable causes of plate waste, tailoring portion sizes more closely to children's needs seems likely to decrease plate waste. USDA's Food and Nutrition Service sets minimum required serving sizes for each of several age/grade categories that are served school meals. However, schools that use a nutrient-based meal planning approach are allowed to customize serving sizes to more narrowly defined age/grade groups. A 1997-98 study of the implementation of USDA's SMI found that, while a majority of school foodservice managers reported no impact of SMI on agers reported no impact of SMI on plate waste, a larger proportion of managers using the nutrient-based approach to meal planning believed that plate waste had decreased, compared with managers using other approaches. This finding may be attributable to differences between school districts other than approaches to menu planning. Further studies would be necessary to establish whether the nutr ient-based approach was more effective at controlling plate waste, as well as to what extent its benefits could be attributable to customizing portion sizes.

All schools participating in USDA meal programs have the option of allowing students to serve themselves--for example, via self-service bars. Self-service items need to meet USDA portion-size guidelines to be reimbursable, but students may have more opportunity to choose a preferred mix of items. One study of elementary schoolchildren in Louisiana found that use of self-service bars for fruits and vegetables resulted in students consuming about one-half serving more of these foods; plate waste also decreased by a small amount.

Lunch Schedules Affect Plate Waste