engleski

Do students eat enough for lunch? A plate waste study in two Croatian elementary schools

Objectives: A balanced diet, ensuring a healthy growth and development, is of high importance during childhood. Children participating in the school nutrition programme should satisfy a significant part of their energy and nutrient requirements through school meals, therefore plate waste suggests that their dietary intake is inadequate.The aim of this study was to assess lunch plate waste of school children by weighing and the average energy intake achieved through this meal. Methodology: The lunch plate waste assessment was conducted among 137 students from two elementary schools in Zagreb, Croatia. All participants were served leek stew and meat, with bread and pudding as optional meal components. The average portion size was assessed by weighing three randomly chosen portions, while afterwards meal plate leftovers were weighted separately. National food composition tables were used to calculate the nutritional value of the meal which was then compared to national guidelines for nutrition of students in elementary schools. Results:The average lunch serving size was different for the two schools, and their energy value did not comply with the guideline recommendations of 584-714 kcal, offering children 54, 9% and 74, 9% of what is expected. When plate waste is taken into account, children received on average 56, 0% and 46, 9% less energy than recommended.Conclusion: Students in this study satisfied only a small portion of their daily dietary needs through lunch, which is expected to be the most abundant meal of the day. Plate waste has also shown to be an issue with a high percentage of bread and vegetables being wasted. School meals should be revised and adjusted in order to reduce plate waste and meet the dietary needs of their students

plate waste, school lunch

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