TY - JOUR
T1 - Preschool healthy food policy did not increase percent of food wasted
T2 - Evidence from the carolinas
AU - Neff, Roni A.
AU - Zaltz, Daniel A.
AU - Hecht, Amelie A.
AU - Pate, Russell R.
AU - Neelon, Brian
AU - O’neill, Jennifer R.
AU - Benjamin-Neelon, Sara E.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding: This research was supported, in part, by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), Healthy Eating Research #69551; The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the RWJF. This research was funded with a grant from the Bloomberg American Health Initiative (no grant number). RN’s time was partly supported by the Columbia Foundation (no grant number). AH was supported by a Center for a Livable Future-Lerner Fellowship. DAZ’s time was partially supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health T32DK062707.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2020/10
Y1 - 2020/10
N2 - This research evaluates the effects of a South Carolina (SC) policy, which changed the nutrition standards for foods served in early care and education (ECE) settings, on wasted food. A two-group pre-test/post-test evaluation was performed in ECE centers serving children age 3–5 from households with lower incomes in SC (n = 102 children from 34 centers, intervention) and North Carolina (NC; n = 99 children from 30 centers, comparison). Direct observation was performed to assess the quantity and kcal of food served and quantity and percent of food discarded, by food group and nutrient, enabling assessment of waste in the absence of intervention. Mixed-effects linear models were fit to estimate, by state, differences in change from baseline to post-implementation at the center level. Covariates were selected a priori, including center enrollment, racial composition, director educational attainment, years in operation, for-profit status, and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) participation. Waste of food was high across states and time points. The policy was not associated with a change in percent of food discarded in SC compared to NC in adjusted analyses.
AB - This research evaluates the effects of a South Carolina (SC) policy, which changed the nutrition standards for foods served in early care and education (ECE) settings, on wasted food. A two-group pre-test/post-test evaluation was performed in ECE centers serving children age 3–5 from households with lower incomes in SC (n = 102 children from 34 centers, intervention) and North Carolina (NC; n = 99 children from 30 centers, comparison). Direct observation was performed to assess the quantity and kcal of food served and quantity and percent of food discarded, by food group and nutrient, enabling assessment of waste in the absence of intervention. Mixed-effects linear models were fit to estimate, by state, differences in change from baseline to post-implementation at the center level. Covariates were selected a priori, including center enrollment, racial composition, director educational attainment, years in operation, for-profit status, and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) participation. Waste of food was high across states and time points. The policy was not associated with a change in percent of food discarded in SC compared to NC in adjusted analyses.
KW - Early care and education
KW - Evaluation
KW - Food waste
KW - Policy
KW - Preschool
KW - School nutrition standards
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U2 - 10.3390/nu12103024
DO - 10.3390/nu12103024
M3 - Article
C2 - 33023143
AN - SCOPUS:85092639816
SN - 2072-6643
VL - 12
SP - 1
EP - 10
JO - Nutrients
JF - Nutrients
IS - 10
M1 - 3024
ER -