Four million dollars. That’s the estimated figure of the amount of food that’s being thrown away in schools each day, according to a study by Cornell and Brigham Young universities. Much of the wasted food is fruits and vegetables now that students are required to take either a fruit or vegetable at lunch for the meal to count as reimbursable.
The School Nutrition recently released data stating that 60% of fresh vegetables and 40% of fresh fruit is being thrown in the trash can.
While many school foodservice directors are struggling with wasted produce, Chandler Unified School District, in Arizona, has found a creative ways to get kids to actually eat their fruits and vegetables. Wesley Delbridge, R.D., food & nutrition director, has used technology—and a healthy girls versus boys competition—to entice his students to eat produce. On competition days, consumption of fruits and vegetables spikes.
One of the reasons the idea is working is because Delbridge takes advantage of characteristics of his demographic. Delbridge’s students are part of Generation Z, who are defined by being highly connected to the use of communications, such as social media. By taking advantage of this trait, Delbridge is able to effectively communicate with his customers.
In our October issue, you can read more about both Delbridge’s program and about meeting the customer service demands of all generations. By tailoring programs to your customers’ generational likes and dislikes you can push your operations goals, whether that’s getting kids to eat more produce or increasing late-night sales.
Until the October issue hits your mailbox, you can see Delbridge’s program in action here.