PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 25, 2026
Once again, we see an initiative to reduce food waste in public schools (“Taking a bite out of food waste,” Maine Sunday Telegram, Jan. 18). In my files, I have a response referencing an editorial from 2016 — 10 years ago. It is discouraging that food waste in our schools continues to be an issue. Ten years should be significant time for programs to be implemented and seamlessly working. As a long-time former Maine public school employee (retired in 2019), I witnessed the insidious amount of food being dumped in our schools. My efforts to initiate changes were not supported to any great degree. I hope that this latest effort will, at long last, catch on — to the point of it being unacceptable to waste food. ~ Lucy Webb Hardy, Wells