CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A silver cart dotted with milk cartons, apples and shiny oranges sits in the center of Buford Middle School’scafeteria.
But this table isn’t a serving station where students scoop up healthy snacks. It’s how Charlottesville City Schools is trying to keep students from throwing away unwanted food — a problem across the country as school divisions attempt to facilitate more healthy eating and adhere to federal requirements for meals that are better for pupils.
Charlottesville encourages students to place the food they don’t want on these “sharing tables” for other students, but not every item finds a home.
“It’s sad because we’re building a healthy trash can,” said Sandra Vazquez, the city schools’ co-coordinator of nutrition.
Christina Pitsenberger, Albemarle County’s director of child nutrition, said she’s seen it too.
“Honestly, they tend to pick things that resemble already made food like pizza, chicken patties, that type of thing,” Pitsenberger said.
To combat this trend, Charlottesville has implemented the sharing tables, and both divisions try to offer a variety of fruit and vegetables. When students are given a choice, schools officials said, they are more likely to eat what they choose.
One reason students are discarding food in Albemarle, Pitsenberger said, is that some students aren’t making the switch to the whole grains that the National School Lunch Program requires.
In 2012, the U.S. Department of Agriculture updated the program’s guidelines to emphasize more whole grains, but Pitsenberger said many students simply aren’t used to those types of breads.
Another challenge is knowing the taste preferences of certain age groups and schools.
“Just because one school likes something doesn’t mean that it will be popular everywhere,” Pitsenberger said, adding that the secondary students prefer spicy food and are more adventurous eaters, whereas the elementary students like mild, familiar dishes.
For example, Pitsenberger