School officials in a Connecticut town are criticizing new restrictions on lunchroom "share tables," which encourage students to donate uneaten food for any classmates who may be hungry.

The concept has been promoted by the U.S. Agriculture Department as a way to reduce waste, but it is up to local governments to determine what health codes will allow. Under a Connecticut policy updated in January, unopened milk, most fruits and the like are off the table.

In Wallingford, a New Haven suburb, Nick Iannone, 14, launched a share table last year as a school project. He noticed fruits and vegetables that come with every hot lunch were ending up in the trash.

"I realized no one eats that," said Iannone, an eighth-grader at James H. Moran Middle School.

Students of all backgrounds took advantage of the extra servings, Superintendent Salvatore Menzo said, but he worries the policy change could deprive needy students, including those who might go without breakfast at home.