SynthesisJournal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics2017
Food Waste in the National School Lunch Program 1978-2015: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Pooled it
- What makes interventions aimed at improving dietary behaviours successful in the secondary school environment? A systematic review of systematic reviews.Public health nutrition · 2022Pooled it
- Evaluating Food Packaging Waste in Schools: A Systematic Literature Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- A systematic review of school meal nudge interventions to improve youth food behaviors.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2020Pooled it
- School Lunches in Poland-Planned Wastage.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- Feasibility and Acceptability of a School-Based Nutrition Education Toolkit: Findings from an Expert Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Fruit and Vegetable Parenting Practices in Preschoolers: Initial Examination and Cultural Equivalency of a New Measure.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Mindful Parenting and Picky Eating Behaviors in Early Childhood: Parental Dietary Competence as a Mediator.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- School Nutrition Personnel Perceptions of School Salad Bars before and after COVID-19.Nutrients · 2024Article
- Article
- Analysis of factors influencing college students' food waste behavior and evaluation of labor education intervention.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Food waste awareness among Italian university students: results of an online survey.Frontiers in nutrition · 2024Article
- Article
- School lunchboxes as an opportunity for health and environmental considerations: a scoping review.Health promotion international · 2023Article
- The effects of school gardens on fruit and vegetable consumption at school: A randomized controlled trial with low-income elementary schools in four U.S. states.Preventive medicine reports · 2023Article
- Do Behavioral Interventions Increase the Intake of Biofortified Foods in School Lunch Meals? Evidence from a Field Experiment with Elementary School Children in Ethiopia.Current developments in nutrition · 2022Article
- The Efficacy and Cost-Effectiveness of Replacing Whole Apples with Sliced in the National School Lunch Program.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- School lunch nutritional adequacy: what is served, consumed and wasted.Public health nutrition · 2021Article
- Preference for fruits and vegetables is linked to plate waste among preschool children.SSM - population health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundFood waste studies have been used for more than 40 years to assess nutrient intake, dietary quality, menu performance, food acceptability, cost, and effectiveness of nutrition education in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).
objectiveDescribe methods used to measure food waste and respective results in the NSLP across time.
methodsA systematic review using PubMed, Science Direct, Informaworld, and Institute of Scientific Information Web of Knowledge was conducted using the following search terms: waste, school lunch, plate waste, food waste, kitchen, half method, quarter method, weight, and photography. Studies published through June 2015 were included. The systematic review followed preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses recommendations.
resultsThe final review included 53 articles. Food waste methodologies included in-person visual estimation (n=11), digital photography (n=11), direct weighing (n=23), and a combination of in-person visual estimation, digital photography, and/or direct weighing (n=8). A majority of studies used a pre-post intervention or cross-sectional design. Fruits and vegetables were the most researched dietary component on the lunch tray and yielded the greatest amount of waste across studies.
conclusionsFood waste is commonly assessed in the NSLP, but the methods are diverse and reporting metrics are variable. Future research should focus on establishing more uniform metrics to measure and report on food waste in the NSLP. Consistent food waste measurement methods will allow for better comparisons between studies. Such measures may facilitate better decision making about NSLP practices, programs, and policies that influence student consumption patterns across settings and interventions.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.