Quantification of kitchen food waste and patient plate waste in an acute care hospital foodservice: An Australian case study

Food waste (FW) is a global issue across the food supply and consumption chain, with environmental, economic, social, and health implications. This study conducted a two-month manual FW audit in an Australian acute care tertiary hospital using direct weighing and visual estimation methods. The primary objective was to quantify the amount and types of FW generated in the kitchen, including spoilage, preparation, and unserved food, and plate waste from two general medicine wards and one coronary care unit. The secondary objective was to examine how plate waste varied by mealtime, food component, diet type, and main dish, and how unserved waste varied by mealtime and food component. A total of 2214 plates were audited over seven breakfasts, 21 lunches, and 21 dinners reflecting the full menu cycle. Kitchen FW totalled 134.1 kg/day (170.4 g/meal), comprising 0.4 g/meal from spoilage waste, 20.7 g/meal from preparation waste, and 149.3 g/meal from unserved food. Plate waste averaged 0.7 kg/patient/day, representing 41 % of food served. Most waste occurred at dinner, with the least waste at breakfast. Special diets (49 %) generated more plate waste than regular diets (36 %), with the pureed diet highest (72 %). By mass, wet cereal, dairy, and hot dishes were most wasted at breakfast; salads, soups, vegetables, and supplements were most wasted at lunch and dinner. The findings strengthen the evidence base for hospital FW quantification and inform more sustainable foodservice and menu design. Recommendations for operational improvements to reduce FW, enhance patient outcomes, and meet national reduction targets are put forward.