ObjectiveTo characterize foods that children bring from home to school by level of processing and evaluate a school-based intervention encouraging children to bring less processed foods.Design, Setting, Participants, and InterventionThe Great Taste, Less Waste (GTLW) school-based intervention was a 6-month, cluster-randomized trial enrolling 582 third and fourth-grade children across 82 classrooms in 12 schools in the Eastern US. GTLW aimed to improve the nutrition quality of foods brought from home to school by pairing messages about healthy and environmentally-friendly eating behaviors.Outcome Measures and AnalysisFoods brought from home were assessed at baseline and follow-up using digital photography and a supplementary checklist. The calorie content of foods was estimated using national nutrient databases, and foods were allocated to one of three processing groups (minimally/unprocessed, moderately, or highly). The percentage of calories in each processing group was calculated and compared pre-post intervention.ResultsThe majority of foods brought to school from home were highly processed (69.0%). The largest share of highly processed foods was observed in the snack food and dessert categories (90.2% and 100%). The majority of foods brought from the fruit and vegetable categories were minimally/unprocessed (85.4% and 58.4%). No significant differences were observed pre-post in the intervention group (69.0 vs 69.5%) or in the intervention compared to control at follow-up (69.0 vs 71.8%).Conclusions and ImplicationsFoods that children bring from home to school are more highly processed that those purchased in the US overall (69.0 versus 59.9%). Given the pervasiveness, convenience, and extensive advertising of highly processed foods in the US, strategies aimed at changing purchasing and packing behavior toward less processed foods warrant further attention.FundingNIH ObjectiveTo characterize foods that children bring from home to school by level of processing and evaluate a school-based intervention encouraging children to bring less processed foods. To characterize foods that children bring from home to school by level of processing and evaluate a school-based intervention encouraging children to bring less processed foods. Design, Setting, Participants, and InterventionThe Great Taste, Less Waste (GTLW) school-based intervention was a 6-month, cluster-randomized trial enrolling 582 third and fourth-grade children across 82 classrooms in 12 schools in the Eastern US. GTLW aimed to improve the nutrition quality of foods brought from home to school by pairing messages about healthy and environmentally-friendly eating behaviors. The Great Taste, Less Waste (GTLW) school-based intervention was a 6-month, cluster-randomized trial enrolling 582 third and fourth-grade children across 82 classrooms in 12 schools in the Eastern US. GTLW aimed to improve the nutrition quality of foods brought from home to school by pairing messages about healthy and environmentally-friendly eating behaviors. Outcome Measures and AnalysisFoods brought from home were assessed at baseline and follow-up using digital photography and a supplementary checklist. The calorie content of foods was estimated using national nutrient databases, and foods were allocated to one of three processing groups (minimally/unprocessed, moderately, or highly). The percentage of calories in each processing group was calculated and compared pre-post intervention. Foods brought from home were assessed at baseline and follow-up using digital photography and a supplementary checklist. The calorie content of foods was estimated using national nutrient databases, and foods were allocated to one of three processing groups (minimally/unprocessed, moderately, or highly). The percentage of calories in each processing group was calculated and compared pre-post intervention. ResultsThe majority of foods brought to school from home were highly processed (69.0%). The largest share of highly processed foods was observed in the snack food and dessert categories (90.2% and 100%). The majority of foods brought from the fruit and vegetable categories were minimally/unprocessed (85.4% and 58.4%). No significant differences were observed pre-post in the intervention group (69.0 vs 69.5%) or in the intervention compared to control at follow-up (69.0 vs 71.8%). The majority of foods brought to school from home were highly processed (69.0%). The largest share of highly processed foods was observed in the snack food and dessert categories (90.2% and 100%). The majority of foods brought from the fruit and vegetable categories were minimally/unprocessed (85.4% and 58.4%). No significant differences were observed pre-post in the intervention group (69.0 vs 69.5%) or in the intervention compared to control at follow-up (69.0 vs 71.8%). Conclusions and ImplicationsFoods that children bring from home to school are more highly processed that those purchased in the US overall (69.0 versus 59.9%). Given the pervasiveness, convenience, and extensive advertising of highly processed foods in the US, strategies aimed at changing purchasing and packing behavior toward less processed foods warrant further attention. Foods that children bring from home to school are more highly processed that those purchased in the US overall (69.0 versus 59.9%). Given the pervasiveness, convenience, and extensive advertising of highly processed foods in the US, strategies aimed at changing purchasing and packing behavior toward less processed foods warrant further attention.