Reducing the Environmental Footprint and Cost of School Meals

Schools can meaningfully decrease greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and cost of meals by using small menu shifts and reducing food waste. Dietary recall surveys from 796 school-aged children across the nation, and other supporting datasets, were used to estimate greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), the water scarcity footprint (WSF), and food costs of school meals. The GHGE resulting from school meal programs comprises approximately 2% of all diet-related GHGE in the United States.