One third of food in the U.S. is wasted instead of eaten. This is not only a disappointing waste of resources, but once it reaches a landfill, food waste is also a significant contributor to greenhouse gasses. “​Food waste is a really big problem. Everyday Americans waste enough food to fill more than a football stadium,” says Annalise Myatt, BVSD student and former member of the Food Waste club at Douglass Elementary. “We could do a lot better.”

School districts have the opportunity to make significant strides reducing food waste in school cafeterias while also creating learning opportunities to inform food waste prevention practices that students can carry with them throughout their life. The School Food Project, Boulder Valley School District’s food service department, has tackled food waste reduction and student education through creative collaborations with multiple partners.

For over ten years, BVSD’s Food Services Department has been working hard to support children’s health by providing fresh nutritious food in schools every day. This past summer, the Food Services team took that work a step further by working to address a little-known but potentially serious threat hiding in plain sight - sesame.