Elementary School ‘Share Tables’ Are the Best Thing to Happen to School Lunches

It's a mandatory part of most cafeteria programs at elementary schools: Kids, whether they're in kindergarten or fifth grade, need to take a certain number of lunch items—fruits and vegetables included—in an effort to eat a more nutritious meal, per state law. But that's the problem. While the intention is good, students are required to take, not eat, the additional items, which means a lot of perfectly good food goes to waste.

More than 20 Florida schools have come up with a solution: Share Tables. The innovative program invites kids to leave food they don't want on communal tables in the cafeteria instead of throwing it away. The bonus? Kids can also pick up items they'd rather eat. (For example, one fourth grader told the Orlando Sentinel she prefers yogurt to her carton of milk, so she swapped.) Anything left over on the communal table is donated either to local homeless shelters or kids whose families don't have enough food.

And concerned parents take note—every item on the table has to be sealed, so no need to stress about germs.

Also, since school regulations prohibit leftover food from being reused the next day in the cafeteria, this solution is a win-win for waste, but also for kids who crave variety.

Case in point, according to another student mentioned in the Sentinel: He doesn't *love* orange slices, but he's all about carrots. To the Share Table he goes.

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