The Puerto Rico House of Representatives' Education Committee will hold a public hearing this Friday, October 2, to examine the handling and waste of food in the cafeterias of the Department of Education's schools. The hearing is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. in Hearing Room 1 of the Capitol and will be led by the committee chair, at-large Representative Tatiana Pérez Ramírez.
The investigation falls under House Resolution 122 and addresses matters in House Resolution 737, authored by Pérez Ramírez. Topics under review include the amount of food that ends up discarded, the reasons behind the waste, and the cost to the public treasury of food that students do not consume. The inquiry will also evaluate related factors, including students' acceptance of the menus, portion sizes, meal service times, and the processes used for food preparation, storage, and distribution.
"As an educator and as a legislator, it worries me that food meant for the nutrition of our children and young people ends up in the trash," Pérez Ramírez said. She stated the hearing's aim is to learn what conditions are causing the waste and to evaluate possible changes in how the cafeterias operate. The committee will also examine how the Department of Education counts and documents discarded food, the environmental impact of its disposal, and practices used in other jurisdictions to reduce food waste in public schools.