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29 Jun 2026
Using rotating stock to reduce food waste in school kitchens
School kitchens store food for emergencies but must use the food before it expires. PLATE researchers are now testing, together with Uppsala municipality, whether the stored food can become a tool against food waste, using prediction models for student attendence.
Photo: Mostphotos
Many Swedish schools maintain what is called a rotating stock, a reserve of food supplies kept on hand in times of crises or disruptions. The food must be regularly cycled out before it expires, meaning school kitchens constantly manage a flow of ingredients that need to be put to use.
Food waste is a parallel problem. Every day, meals are prepared for hundreds of students, but knowing exactly how many will show up is impossible to predict with certainty. Cook too much and food goes to waste. Cook too little and there is not enough to go around.
Foto: Agnes Soto, SLU
By using data to plan more accureately, based on what we know about attendance and what food is available in stock, there is an opportunity to create a better flow through the kitchen.
Christopher Malefors, researcher, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU
In the test with Uppsala municipality, researchers are testing a new approach: an attendance forecast tool designed to help kitchen staff plan more accurately. And on days when reality diverge from the forecast, with more or fewer students than expected, the rotating stock can serve as a buffer. The goal is to solve two problems at once: reducing food waste and ensuring that the emergency stock is actually cycled through before the food expires. Results from the study are expected in the spring of 2028.
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