A computer program then analyzes the photos to identify every piece of food on the plate—right down to how many ounces are left in that lump of mashed potatoes—and calculates the number of calories each student consumed.
The project, funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, is the first of its kind in the nation. The cameras, about the size of pocket flashlights, point only toward the trays and don’t photograph the students. Researchers say about 90 percent of parents gave permission to record every morsel of food their child eats.…Read More