Oral Presentation (30 mins) 41st Institute of Hospitality in HealthCare National Conference

Quantification of food waste in an Australian acute care tertiary hospital (21409)

Huize Ni 1 2 , Taylor Willmott 3 , Dianne McGrath 4 , Sarah Mikelsons 5 , Emily Teo 5 , Rhiannon Crane 5 , Shao Jia Zhou 1 6
  1. School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
  2. End Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
  3. Adelaide Business School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
  4. End Food Waste Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
  5. Nutrition and Dietetics Department, Central Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
  6. Robinson Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Abstract

Background: Food waste is a critical concern across the entire supply and consumption chain. Mapping and monitoring food waste generated in the hospital sector will support the identification of areas for improvement and effective food waste reduction strategies, which will contribute to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 12.3 (halve food waste and loss).

Aim: To quantify food waste in an acute care tertiary hospital in Adelaide, South Australia and investigate the impact of key contributing factors, including mealtimes, food components, and the types of diet on food waste generation.

Methods: A food waste audit was conducted in the hospital over a three-week cook-fresh menu cycle between August and October 2023. Food waste was categorised into spoilage waste (contaminated foods and packaged foods exceeding their shelf life), preparation waste (food waste generated during the preparation and cooking process), unserved waste (leftover foods on the plating line) and plate waste (served foods not consumed by patients). Spoilage waste, preparation waste and unserved waste were measured using the direct weighing method while the combination of direct weighing and digital photography methods were used for plate waste.

Results: Overall, 311.6 kg/day food waste was generated across the entire hospital, including 0.2% spoilage waste (0.6 kg/day), 5.2% preparation waste (16.3 kg/day), 37.6% unserved waste (117.1 kg/day) and 57.0% plate waste (177.6 kg/day). Differences in the amount of unserved waste and plate waste were observed across mealtimes, with the least amount of waste produced at breakfast and the most produced at dinner. Texture-modified diets generated higher plate waste than regular diets. The top three contributors to plate wastage at breakfast were dairy products, hot dishes and wet cereal, while salads, soups and vegetables at lunch and dinner.  

Conclusions: This study highlighted that unserved food and plate waste were the two main sources of food waste in this hospital setting. It identified target areas for improvement across mealtimes, food components, and diet types providing insights for the development of effective food waste reduction strategies.