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

Bibliographic Data

ID15501568
AuthorsShelly Palmer (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), Jessica Jarick Metcalfe (0000-0002-8474-2508, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), Brenna Ellison (0000-0002-4042-0056, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, West Layfayette, IN 47907, USA), Toni Kay Wright (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), Lindsey Sadler (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), Katherine Hinojosa (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), Jennifer McCaffrey (0000-0003-3625-5083, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), Melissa Pflugh Prescott (0000-0002-6317-6674, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume18
Issue24
Pages13157-13157
Publication date2021-12-14
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/ijerph182413157
PMID34948766
OpenAlexW4200431485
LanguageEN
References cited22

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) serves 29.6 million lunches each day. Schools must offer 1⁄2 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 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

Consumption (sociology · Cost effectiveness · Environmental health · Intervention (counseling · Pedagogy · School district · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Medicine · Nursing · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet · Psychology · Urban Agriculture and Sustainability

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