Florida Food Recovery Challenge Accepted!

Schools play a special role in not only reducing and recycling food waste, but also in educating the next generation about the importance of food conservation and recovering wholesome excess food.

To help raise awareness about the amount of food discarded from school cafeterias, The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness conducted a Florida Food Recovery Challenge in October during National School Lunch Week.

Five National School Lunch Program schools were presented with a new food “share cart,” which included small refrigerators and labeled food collection bins. Students were introduced to the share cart with a fun, engaging demonstration led by the FDACS Food Recovery Specialist.

By providing a designated area for students to place unwanted, shelf-stable and refrigerated foods, fewer lunch items wind up in the trash and are then made available to any students who are hungry.

By taking on the Florida Food Recovery Challenge, schools are one step closer to ensuring that less food is wasted in cafeterias.

To learn more about how your school can implement a food recovery program, please contact [email protected]