States Tackle School Food Waste Caused by Federal Rules: New at Reason

Food policy expert Baylen Linnekin explores how states and school districts are trying to keep from tossing tons of uneaten food away as a result of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s school lunch program:

In California, a new law will allow schools to donate uneaten food to charities in the state. “Under the new law, public schools can give their unopened packaged food, unopened milk cartons (kept cold) and uncut produce, like apples, to food banks and other charities,” reports the L.A. Daily News. The law doesn’t take effect until January.

The author of the California law, State Sen. Ed Hernandez (D), says he was inspired to introduce the legislation in part because the Los Angeles school system alone was “throwing away $100,000 worth of food a day.” That translates to 600 tons of food being wasted by one school system each day.

Texas adopted a similar law that’s already taken effect. Under that new state law, schools can “create food pantries on campus where they can store donated food as well as surplus food from the cafeteria.” The schools can then redistribute the food to nonprofits that feed people in need.

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