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FACT BRIEF

Does a significant percentage of school meals wind up in the trash?

By Todd Butterworth
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YES

A 2019 study of school cafeteria food waste found that 27% to 53% of the food served in an American school cafeteria was thrown away. These results are similar to other studies of American cafeteria food waste. Among other nations in the study, so-called plate waste accounted for 23% of total food served in Sweden, 20% to 29% in Italy, and 30% in Spain.

Another study estimates American schools waste approximately 530,000 tons of food annually — about 39 pounds of food waste and 29 cartons of milk per student per year — costing $1.7 billion nationally. The study also showed that nominal interventions can measurably reduce food waste.

The 2023 Nevada Legislature is considering a bill to expand the state’s free school breakfast and lunch program to all students, regardless of family income. The expanded program would cost $50 million annually. 

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Penn State University More food waste in U.S. school cafeterias
WWF Food Waste Warrior program
Nevada Legislature AB319, 2023
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The Nevada Independent
The Nevada Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news and opinion website founded in 2017 by veteran political journalist and commentator Jon Ralston. The site and its supporting channels are focused on ethical, unbiased and transparent journalism. In general, we aim to gather and disseminate important public information and increase civic engagement. We are supported by corporate donations, memberships, event ticket sales and sponsorships and foundation grants. We disclose all our members and donors. Donors have no influence over our content, ever. The Nevada Independent is the dba for Nevada News Bureau, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2010 by Elizabeth Thompson, who now serves as one of The Nevada Independent's managing directors and its Editor.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.