NUTRIM School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Laboratory of Behavioral Gastronomy, Centre for Healthy Eating and Food Innovation, Maastricht University Campus Venlo, the Netherlands.
Facility Services, Maastricht University Medical Centre +, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Clin Nutr. 2024 Sep;43(9):2215-2220. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2024.08.005. Epub 2024 Aug 13.
Organization of food services within hospitals has been identified as a determinant of hospitalized patients' nutritional intake and associated food waste. Whereas hospital food service systems in the Netherlands traditionally consist of 3 fixed mealtimes each day, we recently implemented a new 3-channel concept that provides patients the opportunity to order extra meals or snacks in-between their 3 main mealtimes or even have dinner with their visitors in a bistro located on their ward.
This study investigates the impact of transitioning from a traditional paper-based to a patient-centered, digital hospital food service system on food waste production patterns and its associated financial implications.
Plate waste (served but uneaten food) measurements were performed at baseline for all served meals during a one-week period within the traditional system and follow-up measurements were conducted annually after implementation of the new system during 3 consecutive years. Measurements were conducted at two hospital floors, each comprising four wards. Average grams of plate waste per served meal, daily meal frequency per patient and the associated production and disposal costs of the collected waste were calculated and compared between the two systems.
A total of 4361 meals served within the traditional system were compared with 7815 meals served within the new digital system. Meal frequency increased from an average of 2.5 meals per patient per day in the old system to an average varying between 3 and 3.3 meals per patient per day in the consecutive years. Within the traditional system, average plate waste was 81 grams per served meal, whilst it ranged between 33 and 49 grams per served meal during the following years, with the 3-channel concept in place (p < 0.001, p = 0.010). Dinner demonstrated the largest reduction in plate waste at all measurement points. Following this reduction of plate waste, estimated associated costs of plate waste production and disposal decreased in a similar pattern.
Transitioning from a traditional, paper based to a patient-centered and digital hospital catering system results in significantly higher daily meal frequency and less food waste per served meal.
医院内的餐饮服务组织已被确定为住院患者营养摄入和相关食物浪费的决定因素。荷兰传统的医院餐饮服务系统每天有 3 顿固定的餐食，而我们最近实施了一种新的 3 通道概念，为患者提供了在 3 顿主餐之间额外点餐或吃零食的机会，甚至可以在病房的小酒馆里与访客共进晚餐。
本研究旨在调查从传统的纸质到以患者为中心的数字化医院餐饮服务系统的转变对食物浪费产生模式及其相关经济影响。
在传统系统中，对一周内所有供应餐的餐盘剩余量（即已供应但未食用的食物）进行了为期一周的基线测量，并在新系统实施后的 3 年内每年进行一次随访测量。在两个楼层进行了测量，每个楼层有四个病房。计算并比较了两种系统下每份供应餐的平均餐盘剩余量、每位患者每天的用餐频率以及收集废物的产生和处理成本。
共比较了传统系统中供应的 4361 餐和新数字化系统中供应的 7815 餐。用餐频率从旧系统中每位患者每天平均 2.5 餐增加到连续几年中平均 3 至 3.3 餐。在传统系统中，每份供应餐的平均餐盘剩余量为 81 克，而在随后的几年中，每份供应餐的餐盘剩余量在 33 至 49 克之间，因为实施了 3 通道概念（p<0.001，p=0.010）。晚餐在所有测量点的餐盘剩余量都有最大幅度的减少。随着餐盘剩余量的减少，预计餐盘浪费产生和处理的相关成本也呈类似模式减少。
从传统的纸质到以患者为中心和数字化的医院餐饮服务系统的转变导致每日用餐频率显著提高，每份供应餐的食物浪费量减少。
