Reducing Food Waste at K-12 Schools 

Schools can play a key role in reducing food waste, while educating the next generation about the importance of using food for its intended purpose. Below are tools and strategies that Virginia schools can use to reduce their food waste. 

Strategies 

• Offer vs. Serve
  • Under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP), students are allowed to decline some components of a reimbursable meal. Allowing students flexibility with their food choices can reduce waste. 
    • Offer vs. Serve Guidance for the NSLP and SBP (USDA)
    • How to Do Offer Versus Serve- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• Share Tables 
  • Share tables are designated stations where students can return whole and/or unopened food or beverage items that they choose not to eat. These items can then be made available to other children or donated. 
    • Use of Share Tables in Child Nutrition Program (USDA)
    • A Toolkit for Implementing Share Tables in Municipal Schools (Environmental Law Institute)
• Extending Lunch Time 
  • Research indicates that extending lunch periods from 20 to 30 minutes reduced plate waste by nearly one-third. 
• Engaging Students in Food Choices 
  • Holding taste tests and incorporating lessons about new foods in the classroom can increase a student's likelihood of trying a new food when they encounter it in the lunchroom. 
    • USDA Team Nutrition Popular Events Idea Booklet 
    • Virginia Department of Education Harvest of the Months Program 
• Composting Food Scraps 
  • Collecting food scraps in the lunchroom teaches students about how to properly sort their organic waste. Schools can manage organic waste in a variety of ways, including processing compost in a school garden or having compost hauled away to a compost facility. 
    • Virginia Excess Food Opportunities Map
    • Guide to Composting Onsite at Schools (Institute for Local Self Reliance)
    • Classroom Activities 
      • Do the Rot Thing: A Teacher's Guide to Compost Activities 
      • Composting and Soil Health Children's Books 
      • The Soil Story Curriculum
    • Let's Go Compost
    • Composting at School (Chittenden County, VT)

Additional Resources

• Educating Youth About Wasted Food (EPA)
• USDA's K-12 Food Waste Resources
• Guide to Conducting Student Food Waste Audits 
• World Wildlife Fund's Food Waste Warriors Program 
  • Teaching Resources 
• Rhode Island School Recycling Project Food Waste Reduction Toolkit 
• How Bulk Milk Dispensers Cut Waste in Schools 
• Bulk Milk Grants- Chef Ann Foundation