Guide to Conducting Student Food Waste Audits

The document outlines a step-by-step process for schools to perform food waste audits, including planning, data collection through student interviews and weighing, and a list of evidence-based prevention strategies to reduce waste and improve student nutrition.

• The United States established its first national food waste reduction goal on September 16, 2015, aiming for a 50-percent reduction by 2030.
• Food waste is the primary component of waste sent for disposal and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions by generating methane in landfills.
• Effective food waste audits require a technical advisory team and a specific ratio of student volunteers, recommending four volunteers for every 100 students and one audit station per 200 students.
• The audit process emphasizes qualitative data collection through student interviews to identify specific reasons for waste, as general answers like "didn't like it" are insufficient for creating solutions.
• Scheduling recess before lunch has been shown to reduce food waste by 40 percent and increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables by 54 percent.
• Increasing lunch duration from 20 to 30 minutes can lead to reductions in waste for entrées (13 percent), vegetables (12 percent), and milk (10 percent).
• Simple modifications to food presentation and naming can increase consumption; for example, slicing apples increased the number of students eating more than half the fruit by 73 percent, and creative naming doubled carrot consumption.
• The USDA's Offer versus Serve (OVS) provision helps reduce waste by allowing students to decline certain food items while still requiring a half cup serving of fruit and/or vegetable.

APA

Terry, M., Sturdivant, S., & Nguyen, J. (2017). Guide to Conducting Student Food Waste Audits. WWF International. https://stwwfusprdwwwpubeus1.blob.core.windows.net/www-legacy/publications/723/files/original/Student_Food_Waste_Audit_FINAL_4-6-2017.pdf

Chicago

Terry, Melissa, Stephen Sturdivant, and Jimmy Nguyen. Guide to Conducting Student Food Waste Audits. WWF International, 2017. https://stwwfusprdwwwpubeus1.blob.core.windows.net/www-legacy/publications/723/files/original/Student_Food_Waste_Audit_FINAL_4-6-2017.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Terry |first1=Melissa |last2=Sturdivant |first2=Stephen |last3=Nguyen |first3=Jimmy |title=Guide to Conducting Student Food Waste Audits |publisher=WWF International |date=March 2017 |url=https://stwwfusprdwwwpubeus1.blob.core.windows.net/www-legacy/publications/723/files/original/Student_Food_Waste_Audit_FINAL_4-6-2017.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{terry2017guide, author = {Terry, Melissa and Sturdivant, Stephen and Nguyen, Jimmy}, title = {{Guide to Conducting Student Food Waste Audits}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2017}, month = mar, url = {https://stwwfusprdwwwpubeus1.blob.core.windows.net/www-legacy/publications/723/files/original/Student_Food_Waste_Audit_FINAL_4-6-2017.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }