Food waste reduction is essential for supporting the sustainability of food systems. Wasteful behaviours are difficult to change after they have been formed, highlighting the importance of early interventions. Here we present an assessment of school plate food waste from 29 countries, and examine the environmental implications, causes, and interventions. School plate waste ranged from 4% to 46% per capita per meal and was positively correlated with country income levels. On a global scale, this waste embodies ∼150 Mha of cropland and ∼770 MtCO₂e of greenhouse gas emissions; hence, reducing school plate food waste offers potentially large environmental gains. We propose a comprehensive, multistakeholder framework centred around sustainable food education that cultivates food systems knowledge and skills, and an appreciation for nature and food labour to reduce the psychological distance between youth and their food waste. To effectively implement the framework requires the support and engagement of families, communities and the broader society beyond the confines of schools.

减少食物浪费对于支持食品系统的可持续性至关重要。浪费行为形成后很难改变，这凸显了早期干预的重要性。在这里，我们介绍了对 29 个国家/地区的校车餐厨圾的评估，并研究了环境影响、原因和干预措施。学校餐牌浪费在人每餐 4% 到 46% 之间，与国家收入水平呈正相关。在全球范围内，这些废物包括 ∼150 Mha 的农田和 ∼770 MtCO₂e 的温室气体排放;因此，减少 School Plate 食物浪费可能会带来巨大的环境收益。我们提出了一个以可持续食品教育为中心的全面的多方利益相关者框架，培养食品系统知识和技能，并欣赏自然和食物劳动，以减少青少年与食物浪费之间的心理距离。要有效实施该框架，需要家庭、社区和学校范围以外的更广泛社会的支持和参与。