Volume 8, Issue 7, April 2022

Creative Collaborations Drive Food Waste Reduction

Creative Collaborations Drive Food Waste Reduction in Colorado Schools

Did you know that one-third of all food in the U.S. is wasted instead of eaten? This is not only a waste of food resources; it also has big environmental impacts. Once discarded food waste reaches a landfill, it then becomes a significant contributor to greenhouse gases. School districts have an opportunity to make significant strides in reducing food waste in school cafeterias while teaching students lessons on food waste prevention practices. The School Food Project at the Boulder Valley School District’s (BVSD) food service department, a USDA Fiscal Year 2019 Farm to School Implementation grantee, has tackled food waste reduction and student education with their creative partnerships. “​Food waste is a really big problem. Every day Americans waste enough food to fill more than a football stadium,” says BVSD student Annalise Myatt. “We could do a lot better.” Myatt and other students at Douglass Elementary created a Food Waste Club to raise awareness and work to decrease the amount of food discarded each day at school. The club assessed the waste created in the cafeteria and made a series of posters and tools to inform other students about food waste. The momentum created by Douglass’ Food Waste Club has helped inspire changes to be made across the district’s 56 schools.

District-wide Composting and Eco-Cycle Partnership

BSVD school cafeterias have compost, recycle, and trash receptacles for students to separate their waste streams. This has contributed to the district’s ability to hit its goal of 50% waste diversion in schools. Community partner and nonprofit Eco-Cycle is an integral part of the district’s programs, providing compost pick up at most schools and programmatic support through educational events at their Green Star Schools.

Hands-on Programs with AmeriCorps Member Support

This school year is the first time the School Food Project has hosted an AmeriCorps member through an environmental education program. This new position allows a full-time service member to dedicate their time to hands-on programming with BSVD students in the cafeteria and after-school environmental clubs.

“Students care deeply about food waste and its impact on the environment. They want to help create a solution that works in their schools,” says Miriam Holleb, the current AmeriCorps Service Member through the Colorado Alliance of Environmental Education. “I’m inspired by the sense of urgency which is driving students to grapple with these issues, whether they are in elementary or high school.”

LeanPath Food Waste Tracking Since 2017, the School Food Project has begun installing LeanPath food waste tracking systems in their production kitchens as well ten school cafeterias. LeanPath systems track both pre- and post-consumer waste in various parts of our operation and provide real-time feedback to those generating the waste. This equipment provides data about what is being composted in the district’s kitchen and cafeterias, which all together prepare and serve nearly 15,000 scratch-cooked meals daily. Tracking trimmings to overproduction, the School Food Project has a better idea of where food is being wasted and how to make improvements in waste reduction throughout the production process. These program improvements allow them to reinvest the cost savings into procurement efforts and offer higher quality school meals to the district’s 30,000 students.  Reducing Other Cafeteria Waste The School Food Project has made significant improvements to its daily operations to reduce overall cafeteria waste. They have introduced reusable trays, cups, and silverware in all school cafeterias; purchase local milk in bulk containers; introduced reusable plastic containers (RPCs) for the delivery of local produce, chicken, and beef products; and supported comprehensive recycling and composting programs in all school cafeterias. For more information and classroom resources from the School Food Project please visit:

North Carolina Elementary Schools pilot the USDA Composting and Food Waste Reduction Program

Six elementary schools in Henderson County, North Carolina began composting in 2021 and have diverted a total of 26 tons of food waste from the landfill! Thanks to assistance from the USDA Composting and Food Waste Reduction pilot program, Henderson County Government is able to sponsor the compost program for six schools. The County partnered with Atlas Organics to develop an educational video and posters to support Atlas’ successful “It’s Not Compostable” (INC) Captain Method for lunchroom composting. The County coordinated with schools to develop a process that worked for them since some students eat in the classroom, some in the cafeteria, and some, a bit of both. They work with the cafeteria managers to track the number of trash bags generated per day and each school has the flexibility to choose their level of involvement (e.g., one school has only three grades composting). Henderson County Child Nutrition is also working on phasing out plastic and single-use items in the cafeteria by switching to compostable trays and using metal forks when possible.

In the lunchroom, the INC Captain gathers the trash first in white 5-gallon buckets while the students are seated to allow only compostable material left on the tray, creating a smooth, quick trip to the compost cart. If needed, a small blue bucket is used to collect the metal forks. Most schools already had the routine of emptying milk cartons, and this has continued with the new system. In the classroom, green 5-gallon buckets are used to collect the food waste and carry to the cafeteria. Both methods have had some challenges but overall, it has been a successful pilot.

Local governments, school districts and Native American tribes interested in bringing composting to their communities are encouraged to learn about the USDA Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Composting and Food Waste Reduction pilot program and sign-up for email updates to receive information on the latest funding opportunities offered for Urban Agriculture.

For more information and resources from USDA Urban Agriculture please visit:

Taste testing builds relationships with local foods

For the past eight years, students in Michigan have learned about their relationship with locally grown foods through a collaborative Cultivate Michigan taste testing program. The taste testing is a part of a Real Food SEED (Student Engagement Every Day) Farm to School program embedded in the cooperative food service department of the Montague and Whitehall, Michigan school districts.

The program was funded with a Fiscal Year 2021 Farm to School Implementation grant. This taste testing is done in partnership with the second year Hospitality and Food Management Program students at the Muskegon County, Michigan Career Tech Center (CTC).

“It’s an 8-to-10-week process with the second-year culinary students at the CTC,” explains Dan Gorman, food service director at Montague Area Public Schools, who developed the program with Alyssa Penczar, the instructor for the Hospitality and Food Management program at CTE.

“My second-year students are learning how to develop recipes using Michigan made products,” says Penczar. This year’s focus was on soul food.

The selected recipes are a “Kickin’ Chicken BBQ Sammie” and “Soul Roll.” Both recipes were created by CTC student Desire Barnes, a Muskegon High School student. The recipes were taste tested by elementary and middle school students in Whitehall and Montague.

Penczar says the program is an opportunity for CTC students to learn the process of preparing and serving the dishes, including some failures. “By taste testing foods in Montague and Whitehall schools we are creating students who are willing to try foods,” Gorman adds.

Soul Fire Farm’s “2022 Braiding Seeds Fellowship” Applications are Open!

“Honor and respect to our ancestral grandmothers who braided seeds and promise into their hair before being forced onto transatlantic slave ships. They believed, against odds, that we, their descendants would exist to inherit, plant, and pass on that seed.”

The Braiding Seeds Fellowship is a project of Soul Fire Farm Institute in collaboration with the Federation of Southern Cooperatives. The fellowship carries on the legacy of the braided seeds by providing beginning farmers with resources, professional development, and mentorship to support their livelihood on land.

For more information on this fellowship opportunity please visit:

Application Due Date: May 1st, 11:59 PM EDT

Tribal Colleges Extension Program - Capacity Applications

Tribal Colleges Extension Program - Capacity Applications provides funding to increase Extension program capacity at 1994 Land-grant Institutions; address special needs; take advantage of important opportunities; and/or demonstrate long-term sustained benefits of Extension projects at 1994 Land-grant Institutions. Awards will be made to support one or more of the following Extension base program areas: Agriculture; Community Resources and Economic Development; Family Development and Resource Management; 4-H and Youth Development; Leadership and Volunteer Development; Natural Resources and Environmental Management; and Nutrition, Diet and Health. Application Deadline: June 7 Visit the below link for more information:

USDA-AMS Call for Grant Program Peer Reviewers

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking reviewers to evaluate applications for the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), Local Foods Promotion Program, (LFPP), and Regional Food System Partnerships Program (RFSP). Reviewers receive training on the respective programs. Reviewing applications takes approximately 4-5 weeks. Reviewers evaluate applications assigned to them independently, then come together with other panel members virtually to discuss their findings and finalize reviews and scoring. Non-federal reviewers will be compensated for their time.

If you are interested in serving as a reviewer, visit How to Become an Application Reviewer to enroll!

Do you know one of America’s Healthiest Schools?

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation is honoring the remarkable efforts schools nationwide are making to prioritize the essential health needs of students, staff, and families! This includes celebrating schools that incorporate local or garden produce into school meals, engage families and the community in school gardens, and/or engage students in providing input into the school meal programs.

Schools are encouraged to shine a light on their strengths by applying for a Healthier Generation Award by April 29. All award winners will be celebrated as one of America's Healthiest Schools this fall.

Visit Healthier Generation’s Award Page for details about this exciting opportunity!

Results of FNS-Administered School Food Authority Survey on Supply Chain Disruption

The School Food Authority (SFA) Survey on Supply Chain Disruptions was administered by FNS from November 8th through December 13th through a 20-minute online questionnaire. The survey was sent to all SFAs operating child nutrition programs to gather information on the scope of the supply chain disruptions and school meal operations during school year 2021-22.

Survey Results:

Anti-Racist Farmers Market Toolkit The Anti-Racist Farmers Market Toolkit is here! Developed by a group of Black food system leaders and experts, the Anti-Racist Farmers Market Toolkit is intended to help market operators put anti-racism concepts into practice and action at their markets. The toolkit development has been supported by the Farmers Market Coalition and is made for farmers markets operators everywhere who are ready to work towards running an anti-racist farmers market. Learn anti-racism concepts within the context of farmers markets and how to implement them in your market's strategic plan and culture. Start the work of creating safe and joyful space for all.  Learn more about the Anti-Racist Farmers Market Toolkit here:

Let’s Make a Snack: Child and Adult Care Food Program Snack Menu Planner for Children 3 Through 18 Years of Age

USDA Food and Nutrition Service released their “Let’s Make a Snack: Child and Adult Care Food Program Snack Menu Planner for Children 3 Through 18 Years of Age.” This resource is designed to help Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) operators plan and prepare nutritious snacks that meet CACFP meal pattern requirements. The menu planner provides practical tips on how to serve high-quality snacks, and includes sample menus, USDA standardized recipes, and checklists to help with menu planning and application of knowledge.

Let's make a Snack Menu Planner:

The Dirt is a monthly publication of USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, Farm to School Program, providing news and resources for former, current, and future Farm to School grantees, and for all readers who want to know what is new and exciting in farm to school.

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Please go to the USDA's Farm to School Program Website and discover more about our Farm to School Grant Program, Farm to School Census, and Technical Assistance and Training.

   Contact us at farmtoschool@usda.gov

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