Students will explore strategies that can decrease food waste at home and school, design solutions for schoolwide food waste reduction efforts, and participate in food waste challenges that encourage sustainable shopping, correct food storage practices, and meal planning. Grades 9-12

environment: the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates

food waste: food that is not eaten

Food waste is a significant issue in both homes and schools, with an estimated 30-40% of the U.S. food supply going to waste each year. For agriculture, food waste represents a loss of the time, effort, and natural resources spent in growing, harvesting, and distributing food. Reducing food waste is not just about minimizing loss—it’s about honoring the labor and environmental inputs that go into every step of food production.
 
By focusing on strategies to decrease food waste, students can help protect these valuable resources. Practicing sustainable shopping and purchasing only what is needed is critical in preventing over-purchasing and reducing the volume of wasted food. Additionally, learning proper food storage techniques can extend the shelf life of perishable items, and effective meal planning can ensure that food is consumed before it spoils. These habits, when practiced both at home and in schools, can lead to a significant reduction in the amount of food waste.
 
Schools are uniquely positioned to lead the charge in food waste reduction. By engaging students in designing and implementing schoolwide food waste reduction efforts, schools can cultivate a culture of sustainability. Participating in challenges, such as reducing waste during lunch or encouraging families to adopt better food management practices, empowers students to take ownership of the issue. This can result in long-term behavior changes that extend beyond the school environment, creating ripple effects in communities that promote a more sustainable and conscientious approach to food consumption. Ultimately, preventing food waste at home and in schools helps conserve natural resources, reduces landfill usage, and supports broader environmental sustainability goals.

1. Gather various food items and/or food packages (about 30 items) and set them on a table in front of the classroom. This can include fresh produce, prepared meals, and packaged foods. 
   • Consider using Food Models for this activity. They can be ordered or printed yourself. These full-color, life-size images also represent suggested portion sizes for various food items. 
2. Ask students, “If these items represent food in the United States, what percentage of this will end up wasted?” 
3. Instruct students to select a number/percentage of the displayed food items that they think will be wasted in the United States.   
   • For example, if you have 30 items on the table and students select 10/30 to be wasted, this means they think about 33% of food is wasted in the United States. Separate your students’ guess from the rest of the items. (Slide 10 food products away from the group.) 
4. Depending on your students’ guess, separate the correct number of food items to be “wasted.” (Stay within 30-40%) 
5. Explain to students that between 30-40% of food is wasted each year in the United States. This is equivalent to billions of pounds of food each year. 
6. Project the Food Chain image on the board, or if using the Oh, Scrap! e-reader, have students turn to page 5. 
7. Ask students, “Where along this food chain is food wasted?”
8. Allow students to share thoughts and ideas. 
9. Explain to students that food waste can happened anywhere on the food chain. There is a larger environmental impact when food is wasted further down the food chain.  
10. Ask students, “Where on this food chain can you implement food waste strategies and make a difference?” For most students, this will be distribution and consumption. 
    • How can students make a difference during distribution? (Meal planning, not over purchasing items, checking expiration dates, etc.)
    • How can students make a difference during consumption? 
11. Explain to students that they will now consider strategies and ideas for minimizing food waste at home and school. 

Activity 1: Preventing Food Waste at School

1. Project slide 5 of the Preventing Food Waste at School slide deck.
2. Divide the class into groups of 2-3 students and assign each group a topic from slide 5. (You may assign multiple groups the same topic)
   • Food Waste Audits 
   • Share Table Approach 
   • Composting/Vermicomposting 
   • Offer vs. Serve (OVS) 
3. Explain to students that they will create a “billboard” or advertisement that should aim to educate and persuade others in the school to adopt or implement their assigned strategy. 
   • If you do not have access to large poster paper or large sticky notes, consider creating a class Google slide deck, where each group can simultaneously work on their slide. 
4. Give students time to research their assigned topic. You may refer students to USDA’s Reducing Food Waste at K-12 Schools for additional information. 
5. In addition to general facts and information about their food waste and their assigned strategy, instruct students to also answer the following questions: 
   • Besides reducing food waste, how else would this strategy benefit our school?  
   • How can our school begin implementing this strategy? 
   • How can we educate the entire student body about reducing food waste at school? 
6. Remind students that these posters or slides should aim to educate the rest of the school and persuade others to minimize food waste at school.
7. Once completed, allow students to share their billboards or posters with the rest of the class. Consider inviting administration or lunch personnel to come listen. 
8. If possible, hang posters outside in the hallway or around the school. 
9. For supplemental instruction or activities, consider reviewing slides 6-14 on the Preventing Food Waste at School slide deck.
10. Additional food waste activities can be found at the on pages 16-39 of the Facilitator Guide, including instructions on completing a food waste audit. 

Activity 2: Preventing Food Waste at Home

1. Project the Rethinking Food image on the board. 
2. Ask students to look at their options and ask:
   • Which of these products would you eat?
   • How many of you think you’d throw these items out? 
3. Using “think-pair-share,” allow students to come up with ways they’d utilize these foods before throwing them away to prevent food waste.
   • Ripened bananas: banana breads, cookies, or muffins; pureed banana ice cream
   • Stale bread: croutons, French toast
   • Sour milk: yogurt or buttermilk 
   • Ugly or old produce: soups, casseroles, stir fry, sauces, and broths 
4. Explain to students that as consumers (during the consumer stage of the food chain), they should be aware of additional meals that can be made with old, stale, or over-ripened foods. Solutions like this prevent food from ending up in the landfill. 
5. Using the Preventing Food Waste at Home slide deck, discuss slides 4-6 and review strategies to prevent food waste at home. 

Activity 3: Shopping Sustainably

1. Ask students to pretend they are responsible for grocery shopping for the next week.
2. Provide students with a blank sheet of paper and ask students to create a shopping list of foods they’d buy for the next week for who’s living at home with them. Explain to students that they have $150 budgeted for grocery shopping.  
3. If needed, allow students to use grocery store apps or websites to see the prices of various items. 
4. Ask students to create a list of food items they would purchase with the $150.
5. Allow students to share what they purchased. 
6. Ask students: 
   • Did any of you consider food items you might already have at home? 
   • Did any of you buy specific foods or ingredients to make a specific meal? 
   • Does your shopping list consist mainly of fresh produce and foods, or processed, packaged items? 
   • Does the way we grocery shop help decrease food waste? If so, how? 
7. Using the Preventing Food Waste at Home slide deck, discuss slides 7-12, including sustainable shopping and storing food. 
8. Explain to students that when we are more intentional about the items we purchase—including when we purchase food and how much we purchase—we can help lower food waste at home. 
9. Using slide 13, assign each group of students a list of ingredients. 
   • Canned black beans, brussels sprouts, chicken thighs
   • Bell pepper, canned cranberry sauce, porkchops 
   • Canned chickpeas, squash, spaghetti
   • Breadcrumbs, broccoli, canned tuna 
10. Provide students with the following links or create QR codes:
    • FoodKeeper App
    • Cold Food Storage Chart
    • SuperCook App
11. Instruct students to use the provided links to look up how long each item can be stored before freshness and quality is compromised. 
12. Using SuperCook (or a similar website) Students should then use the assigned ingredients to come up with an entrée or appetizer that they’d be willing to prepare and eat. 
13. Explain to students that keeping an accurate inventory of your pantry and fridge can help eliminate food waste. 

1. Lead a class discussion with your students. Ask students to consider how the prevention of food waste can positively impact our world. 
2. Remind students of the acronym “E-S-P-eN.”  
3. Discuss concepts from the lesson and discuss the positive economic, social, political, and environmental impacts of preventing food waste.
4. Review and summarize the following key concepts:
   • Sixty percent of food waste occurs at the household level. Sustainable shopping, correct food storage, and meal planning can all help reduce food waste at home.
   • Food should be reconsidered before being wasted or thrown out. There are websites and online tools that can generate new recipe ideas for food before it is thrown away.
   • There are multiple strategies schools can implement in order to reduce food waste, including food waste audits, share tables, composting, and offer vs. serve.

• Oh, Scrap