‘What's measured is managed’: a new evidenced based tool to measure food waste in hospitals

 

Approximately one-third or 1.3 billion tonnes of all food produced for human consumption is wasted annually. Hospitals significantly contribute to this problem, with half of all waste in hospitals represented by food waste. Food waste is an important environmental issue because when it is sent to landfill, it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas which contributes to climate change. Reasons for food waste in hospital foodservices include food spoilage, overproduction, incorrect forecasting, food trimmings, poor communication, complex ordering systems, large portions, meal quality, insufficient choice, patient appetite, meal timing and medical interruptions.

 

In hospital foodservices, food waste audits are used to identify where food waste is generated and in what quantities. By conducting food waste audits, hospital foodservice departments can implement interventions aimed to reduce food waste. The data collected from the audits can be used to evaluate the outcomes of the interventions and provide useful insights to identify if the intervention was successful at decreasing food waste.

 

Currently, various methods, frameworks and toolkits have been developed using different approaches to collect data for food waste audits. However, there is no consensus method available to support hospitals in administering a food waste audit. By using a standardised evidence based approach to conduct food waste audits, different hospital foodservice departments can homogenise data collection methods and enable outcomes to be compared. 

 

Our recently-published review looks at the current methods and features of waste audits used in hospital foodservice settings that measure combined food and food-related waste. Exploring the current literature, we developed a consensus tool for conducting a food and food-related waste audit in a hospital foodservice setting. 

 

In Figure 1 you can see the first of its kind, evidence based, consensus pathway food waste audit tool. Embedded in the consensus tool are choices to support the user to prepare and execute a food and food-related waste audit. Various factors are incorporated to provide hospital foodservice departments with an audit method that best aligns with their production and distribution systems. The factors considered include which foodservice system is in operation, the duration and scope defined for waste collected, equipment requirements, locations and methods for waste measurement. This makes the developed food waste audit tool transferable across hospital foodservice departments internationally.

 

Figure 1. Hospital food waste audit consensus tool developed from the most common food waste audit methods identified in the systematic review of food waste audit methods in hospital foodservices

The pathway of this food waste audit tool also enables the audit to be replicable. This ensures that the interventions that were implemented by hospital foodservice departments to reduce food and food-related waste are analysed consistently to identify the impact of the reduction interventions implemented.

Using the common mantra, ‘what's measured is managed’, this tool can systematically reduce food waste in hospital foodservices through the process of continuous quality improvement. With application of the developed consensus pathway food waste audit tool in practice, hospitals have the opportunity to identify a problem area, apply a reduction strategy and re-audit the foodservice as required to demonstrate change. Future work by this group will include gaining foodservice staff’s perspectives on food waste audits and implementing the consensus tool in a hospital foodservice setting. This research will bring us one step closer to tackling climate change, eradicating food waste, and achieving Sustainable Development Goal 12: Sustainable Production and Consumption.

By Nathan Cook, APD, AccSD

 

Nathan Cook is a PhD student from Monash University, investigating strategies to reduce food waste and divert food waste from landfill in hospital food services. His current career ambition is to use clinical research to support quality improvement projects in hospital food services that help reduce hospital food waste worldwide. Nathan is an Accredited Practising Dietitian, Accredited Sports Dietitian and secretary for the Dietitians Australia Food and Environment interest group.

 

Publication information:

Cook, N, Collins, J, Goodwin, D, Porter, J. A systematic review of food waste audit methods in hospital foodservices: development of a consensus pathway food waste audit tool. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2021; 00: 1– 13. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12928

 

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