Hospital Wastes A Third Less Food After This One Change

When it comes to wasting food, hospitals are one of the most egregious culprits, with two to three times more waste than other food service sectors. UC San Francisco Medical Center, however, has found that one change cut the amount of food it wastes by 30%. It now serves food on-demand.Most hospitals produce food in bulk and serve it at predetermined meal times, which may or may not be in sync with a patient’s appetite or the timing of health care services being performed. With on-demand, a patient orders food just like hotel room service—when they’re ready.“I don’t send you a meal unless you ask for it. In the old way, we sent you a tray and gave you food whether you liked it or not,” says Dan Henroid, Director of Nutrition and Food Services for UCSF Health.  Given that patient trays have been found to generate over half of hospital food waste, it makes sense that serving food only when desired could make a big difference.