Plate Waste in USDA Summer Food Service Program Open Sites: Results from the Project SWEAT Sub-Study

The study objectives were to pilot approaches to examine plate waste and explore plate waste patterns by delivery style (pre-assembled trays versus multi-offering tray line with Offer Versus Serve (OVS)) at United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sites. Mean plate waste in the USDA SFSP was highest for vegetables (70.9% wasted), followed by meat/meat alternate (56.0%), fruit (47.9%), grains (48.9%), and milk (41.0%). The amount of food wasted was consistently higher when meals were delivered on pre-assembled trays versus multi-offering tray line with OVS. Findings from this study provide initial insights into overall plate waste patterns at USDA SFSP sites and potential implications for waste by delivery style.