Limiting Food Waste in Child Care Facilities through Implementation of Portion Sizes

Food waste in child care facilities is both a monetary waste and a danger to the environment. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of portion control in a child care facility on the amount of food wasted and the costs associated with food waste. It was hypothesized that establishment of portion control will result in a reduction in the amount of food waste of lunches and afternoon snacks generated by preschool children attending the Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center (JTCDSC). A four-week study was conducted where two trials were introduced: 1 two-week trial using the current “family-style” serving method that was “un-portioned” and 1 two-week trial using a “portion-sizing” that followed USDA portion serving recommendations. The study found a 12.54% reduction in the amount being served in pounds, a 33.26% reduction in the amount of food being wasted in pounds, and a reduction of $73.22 being thrown away as monetary waste when comparing the portioned method to the un-portioned method. In conclusion, it was found that using the portioning method implemented was successful in reducing food waste and monetary loss from food waste when compared to the current food serving method in a child care facility