15th Apr 2016 - 08:03
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Abstract
Patients forced to order their hospital meals in advance are the biggest cause of food waste, according to hospital caterers, with 69% identifying this as the main factor behind high wastage rates.
At the Hospital Caterers Association (HCA) annual leadership and development forum in Liverpool yesterday, delegates were polled about food waste issues. Advanced ordering systems mean patients have to choose their meal options ahead of time, sometimes as much as a day.
They may well feel differently about the food when it arrives much later, or sometimes they have been discharged and the new patient in the bed does not want the meal someone else selected..
That is why 57% of caterers said that the biggest source of food waste was bulk waste and food left on serving trolleys when patients chose not to take their original choice.
Nevertheless, 83% of caterers identified tackling food waste as a priority at thir trust.
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