O12 Exploring Factors that Minimize School Lunch Waste in Tokyo Elementary Schools

Background School lunch waste is a significant global issue with serious environmental, financial, and nutritional implications. In the US, students throw away more than 30% of their school lunch. In contrast, food waste generated through Japan's national school lunch program is approximately 7%. To date, few studies have focused on school lunch waste in Japan. Objective The objective of this study was to explore factors that minimize school lunch waste in Tokyo elementary schools. Study Design, Settings, Participants This focused, ethnographic study was conducted in Tokyo with five school dietitians who worked in elementary schools that varied on characteristics such as number of meals served, geographic location and school lunch program type (i.e. on-site kitchen versus school lunch center). Data were collected using in-depth interviews with school dietitians, observation of nutrition education lessons, participant observation of school lunchtime during which students and teachers eat the same meal together in their classrooms, and review of relevant school documents, including lunch menus and food waste records. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Data were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results Five themes emerged from the analysis: reinforcement of social norms to eat without waste, menu planning to increase exposure to unfamiliar and/or disliked foods, integration of food and nutrition education on topics such as food gratitude and eating a balanced meal without likes and dislikes, into the school curriculum, teacher lunchtime practices related to portion sizes, distributing leftover food, and managing time during the lunch period, and engagement of students in reducing school lunch waste. Conclusion School lunch waste in Tokyo elementary schools is minimized through a holistic approach that includes factors that operate at, and interact across, multiple levels of the social ecological model. Modifying and applying such an approach in US schools is worth considering. Funding Fulbright US Scholar Program.