Sustainability

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NSW Health has committed to minimising harm to the environment in Future Health, the roadmap for delivering healthcare in NSW from 2022-2032.

Sustainability is not the focus of the Nutrition Standards. The standards focus on making sure the menu meets the majority of patients' nutrient, psychosocial and clinical needs.

However, reducing food waste in the NSW Health system is a shared outcome of the Nutrition Standards and sustainability initiatives.

Food waste

It's not practical to aim for zero food waste on patients' plates in healthcare settings, and here's why:

Nutrition is a priority

Healthcare facilities must make sure patients get the nutrition they need to recover and stay healthy. However, patients in healthcare facilities might not be feeling well, could be tired and may take medications that reduce their appetite. They also might have their meals interrupted and sometimes they can't choose what they eat.

But we can do better

Despite these challenges, there are ways to reduce the amount of food that goes to waste and its impact on the environment. Here are some strategies:

  • Let patients help choose: Involving patients in deciding what's on the menu and enabling them to select their food allows them to select food that is more familiar and appealing to them. This can improve how much they eat and reduce waste.1
  • Faster food delivery: Making sure there's less time between when a patient orders food and when they get it can cut down on waste.2
  • Variety in food: Offering different portion sizes, flavours, colours and textures of food throughout the day and menu can make the food look better and increase how much patients eat. Reducing the use of default menus or times when patients do not select their own meals can reduce waste.
  • Help with eating: Some patients might need assistance with eating and providing this help can boost their food intake and reduce waste.

Reuse and donate

One way to cut food waste is to incorporate surplus food into other dishes or serve it to patients and staff.3 This minimises waste and makes the most of what's available. Another option is to donate extra food to charities or use food waste for energy generation.3 However, it's crucial to carefully plan and assess the logistics and feasibility of these strategies.

By taking a comprehensive approach that considers all these factors, healthcare facilities can play their part in reducing waste and creating a more environmentally friendly and resource-efficient system. Providing food that consumers eat is also good clinical care.

Plant-based diets

Eating more plant-based foods is known to help the environment.4 But, we need to be careful because not all plant-based foods are equally good for the environment, especially highly processed ones.

Lots of people prefer having more plant-based foods in their diet. This is why it's important to offer vegetarian choices on the regular menu. This should be part of a menu that's well thought out and has lots of different foods with different flavours and textures.

References

  1. Dynesen AW, Snitkjær P, Andreasen LS, et al. Eat what you want and when you want. Effect of a free choice menu on the energy and protein intake of geriatric medical patients. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 1 Dec 2021;46:288–296. DOI: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2021.09.741
  2. Prgomet M, Li L, Li J, et al. Electronic meal ordering systems: an Evidence Check rapid review brokered by the Sax Institute for the NSW Ministry of Health. 2015.
  3. Cook N, Goodwin D, Porter J, et al. Food and food-related waste management strategies in hospital food services: A systematic review. Nutr Diet. 2023;80(2):116- 142. DOI:10.1111/1747-0080.12768
  4. Willett W, Rockström J, Loken B, et al. Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. Lancet. 2019;393(10170):447-92.
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