Calculator login
Portal login
Skelton Primary School learn how to reduce food waste
The Cool Food Pro team recently delivered a whole school assembly and workshop to year five and six pupils at Skelton Primary School. They taught pupils about the real value of food, highlighting the energy, water, people and fuel used to grow, process and transport food
The Cool Food Pro team recently delivered a whole school assembly and workshop to year five and six pupils at Skelton Primary School. They taught pupils about the real value of food, highlighting the energy, water, people and fuel used to grow, process and transport food. The pupils were enthusiastic and made great contributions, sharing their knowledge about farming and climate change.
The pupils engaged in the session and were surprised to learn how much water was needed to produce different food items, especially for animal products such as beef burgers, cheese and eggs.
Later on, pupils worked in groups to complete a puzzle which revealed food waste facts. They were surprised to learn that for an 80g serving of peas to get on your plate it takes on average 26 litres of water and eight people. 204g of CO₂ is generated through its production, and if thrown away it costs £1.35 per kg wasted. If they matched the correct pieces, they could see a whole image of the food. When comparing foods, they found that animal products generally had the largest environmental footprint, with chocolate and strawberries not far behind.
The team also showed pupils how the school’s catering team monitor food waste using the Cool Food Pro calculator. The school is currently producing 4kg of plate waste per day. They aim to reduce this by approximately 10%, which would equate to a reduction of 2kg of Co₂e. and a £3 saving per service. These seemingly small savings would soon add up over a school week, term and school year.
This activity helped pupils to understand the real value of food, the resources which have gone into its production and the importance of not throwing it away. This awareness will help reduce plate waste in the school as pupils now better understand how they can help the planet by not putting food in the bin.
Cool Food Pro delivered an engaging and thought-provoking workshop on food waste. I would recommend repeating it in further schools, especially for the KS2 age group.
More case studies
Brooke Primary School joins Cool Food Pro to increase awareness on the food waste reduction in their dining hall.
Brooke Primary School’s catering is independently managed by the school’s principal chef, which, with the support of the staff and the Cool Food Pro Calculator, is working on their environmentally friendly journey by implementing meat-free Mondays and tackling food waste from the dining hall.
Caterlink reduce food waste in school kitchens
Education catering specialists, Caterlink are working with one of their primary school sites as a pilot in Cambridgeshire to reduce the amount of food left over at the counter after lunch time service.
By looking at baseline waste values at Isle of Ely Primary School, they have set out key areas to work on that will result in less food going in the bin, with a view to roll this out across the business.
Hutchison are educating the next generation on food waste
Nine primary schools took part in a week-long pilot study, organised by Hutchison Catering Ltd, to measure kitchen surplus and plate waste and to train the catering staff and school community on the importance of reducing food waste.
