Food, Energy & Water: The Impact of a Food Waste Reduction Training Program for Food Service Workers in an Urban School District

Food waste is a major issue in the United States. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that 30-40% of the food produced in the United States is wasted.

15 Paterson, NJ, schools that cook their own meals were randomly chosen to participate in the study, with the intervention based on USDA’s offer vs. serve model. Lunch food waste data collection occurred prior to the intervention, then the food service workers and lunchroom monitors were trained. Finally, the post-intervention food waste was measured. Training for the school foodservice workers was based on behavioral economics “nudges” to improve the cafeteria environment which led to reduced food waste.

Of the food and beverages served during our 60 visits to schools 2,473 pounds were wasted before the intervention and 2,123 were wasted after the intervention. Overall, 350 pounds of food was saved which was a 14 % reduction in food waste due to this intervention. That is approximately 12 pounds of waste saved per school per day and a total of 90,720 pounds of food waste saved for the whole district for the year. The estimated savings of food cost for the 90,620 pounds of food is $76,452. Additionally, an estimated 41,932 gallons of water were saved due to the intervention. Overall, the intervention showed the impact of a food service training program on reducing food waste.