In a study to evaluate various factors affecting food waste in the school lunch program, data were collected from grades 1-6 in four districts, using three schools from each district on three consecutive days. The average number of participants per school was 384. More than 13,824 individual sets of data were collected. Thirty-six menus were represented in the study. Each child rated each component of the meal (main dish, bread, vegetables, dessert, and milk) on a five-point scale. The students handed in their forms at the waste return line in the lunchroom before they left their tray at the return stand. At that time the amount of waste for each of the five food items remaining on the returned tray was recorded by an observer. The report presents rank order tables for both food preference and plate waste scores. Recommendations are made to incorporate the more desirable items as often as practical and to serve the less desirable or unknown foods accompanied by a nutrition education emphasis. (Author/MLF)