Abstract
The aim of the study was to reduce food waste in a hospital, a hospital cafeteria, and a residential home by applying a participatory approach in which the employees were integrated into the process of developing and implementing measures. Initially, a process analysis was undertaken to identify the processes and structures existing in each institution. This included a 2-week measurement of the quantities of food produced and wasted. After implementing the measures, a second measurement was conducted and the results of the two measurements were compared. The average waste rate in the residential home was significantly reduced from 21.4% to 13.4% and from 19.8% to 12.8% in the cafeteria. In the hospital, the average waste rate remained constant (25.6% and 26.3% during the reference and control measurements). However, quantities of average daily food provided and wasted per person in the hospital declined. Minimizing overproduction, i.e., aligning the quantity of meals produced to that required, is essential to reducing serving losses. Compliance of meal quality and quantity with customer expectations, needs, and preferences, i.e., the individualization of food supply, reduces plate waste. Moreover, establishing an efficient communication structure involving all actors along the food supply chain contributes to decreasing food waste.
Highlights
Kranert et al [1] found that 65,000 tons of food are wasted in hospitals and 93,000 to 145,000 tons in nursing and residential homes each year in Germany
Our study provides key figures concerning three German food service facilities from this sector, which can be compared to those provided in other studies
Compared to Williams and Walton [4], who summarized the findings of 32 studies in hospitals, the food waste determined in our hospital, at 25.6% and 26.3% discarded in measurements #1 and #2, was within the range of 6% to 65% and was lower than the median plate waste of 30% they calculated
Summary
Kranert et al [1] found that 65,000 tons of food are wasted in hospitals and 93,000 to 145,000 tons in nursing and residential homes each year in Germany. In addition to the discarded food, all resources used during agricultural and industrial production and transport are wasted This contradicts the concept of sustainable nutrition [2] which, in times of scarce resources, is becoming increasingly important with regard to the finiteness of resources, such as land, energy, water, and other assets. For this reason, politicians and customers expect the food industry and caterers to accept responsibility for their diners, society, and the environment [3]. Williams and Walton [4] summarized the literature on the extent of plate waste occurring in hospitals until 2011. In the Irish 3-year Green Healthcare Programme of the Environmental
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