Foods Offered and Plate Waste Among School-Aged Children: A Descriptive Study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nutrition
• Dietary Assessment
• Public Health

Background:

• Childhood nutrition is critical for long-term health.
• Dietary patterns established in early life can persist.
• Assessing food quality and consumption is essential for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe foods offered to children and their plate waste.
• To compare offered foods against the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA-2020).
• To analyze differences between foods offered and foods consumed.

Main Methods:

• A 3-day remote food photography method (RFPM) was used.
• 38 child-caregiver dyads participated.
• Energy, nutrients, Healthy Eating Index-2020 (HEI-2020) scores for offered, consumed, and wasted foods were analyzed using linear mixed models.

Main Results:

• Foods offered exceeded DGA-2020 recommendations for sodium (1,034.5 mg), saturated fat (2%), and added sugars (11%).
• Minimum DGA-2020 thresholds for fiber (-5.18 g) and calcium (-228.7 mg) were not met in offered foods.
• Foods offered had a higher HEI-2020 score (1.3 units) than foods consumed.

Conclusions:

• Significant disparities exist between recommended dietary guidelines and foods offered to children.
• Plate waste analysis reveals nutritional gaps in children's diets.
• Interventions focused on improving the nutritional quality of offered foods are necessary for child health.