Background: Few studies document milk selection and waste among high school lunch programs.
Methods: This observational research assesses the types of milk selected and wasted among 5 Montana high school lunch programs. Over 6 days across the 2014-2015 school year, 3842 milk cartons were collected. Direct weighing was used to assess the ounces of milk wasted and consumed by milk type. Outcomes included the number of milks selected by type at each school, ounces of milk consumed and wasted on average per student. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to assess demographics of school lunch participation, milk consumption and waste, and the amount of waste per type of milk.
Results: Students were most likely (p < .05) to select fat-free flavored milk, followed by 1% plain milk, and fat-free plain milk. Fat-free flavored (mean = 0.86, SD = 0.55) was the least wasted, followed by fat-free plain (mean = 1.08 oz, SD = 1.55), and 1% plain (mean = 1.26 oz, SD = 1.02).
Conclusions: Across all milk options, milk waste was low. The findings indicate that high school students are more likely to select and consume greater amounts of, and waste less, fat-free flavored milk.
Keywords: National School Lunch Program; consumption; food waste; milk; plate waste; school nutrition.
© 2020, American School Health Association.