Food Waste in Schools

A Pre-/Post-test Study Design Examining the Impact of a Food Service Training Intervention to Reduce Food Waste

Bibliographic Data

ID15460337
AuthorsSara Elnakib (0000-0001-8367-8770, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, corresponding author), Sara A Elnakib (Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey), Virginia Quick (0000-0002-4338-963X, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey), Mariel Mendez (0000-0003-4359-6054, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey), Shauna Downs (0000-0003-2161-3343, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey), Olivia A Wackowski (0000-0001-9159-5473, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey), Mark Robson (0000-0001-5702-4781, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey), Mark G Robson (Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA)
Year2021
Volume18
Issue12
Pages6389-6389
Publication date2021-06-12
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph18126389
PMID34204829
OpenAlexW3171650252
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited35

This study aimed to assess change in school-based food waste after training and implementing the Smarter Lunchrooms Movement (SLM) strategies with school food service workers. This non-controlled trial was implemented in a random sample of 15 elementary and middle schools in a Community Eligibility Program school district in the Northeast, the United States. Baseline and post-intervention food waste measurements were collected at two different time points in each school ( n = 9258 total trays measured). Descriptive statistics, independent t -tests, and regression analyses were used to assess SLM strategies' impact on changes in percent food waste. The mean number of strategies schools implemented consistently was 7.40 ± 6.97 SD, with a range of 0 to 28 consistent strategies. Independent t -tests revealed that at pos t -test, there was a significant ( p < 0.001) percent reduction (7.0%) in total student food waste and for each food component: fruit (13.6%), vegetable (7.1%), and milk (4.3%). Overall, a training session on food waste and the SLM strategies with school-based food service workers reduced school food waste. However, the extent of the training and SLM strategies to reduce food waste varied on the basis of the consistency and type of strategies implemented

Baseline (sea · Business · Descriptive statistics · Environmental health · Food service · Food waste · Intervention (counseling · Statistics · Test (biology · Waste management · Engineering · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability · Mathematics · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Urban Agriculture and Sustainability · Marketing

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