Food Waste in American Hospitals

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Summary of Literature
Development and Presentation of Argument
Refutations of Counterclaims
Nursing Role in Promotion of the Affected Population
Conclusion
References

Introduction

All hospitals are concerned with the quality of the services they offer to their clients due to the implications on patient satisfaction. The topic of concern in this paper is food waste and how it affects one or more elements of patient satisfaction, including the overall food experience within the hospitals. Food waste is a major problem for all countries in the world. Regarding the targeted population, food waste is an important issue since it can be an indicator of food and foodservice quality, which then translates into the overall patient experience. Hospitals seemingly lack proper policies to regulate food preparation and service. Additionally, most of the policy issues seem to revolve around nutrition without paying much attention to the expectations and perceptions of patients on hospital food. The argument presented in this paper is that hospitals need to develop better food management policies to help improve the patient experience.

Summary of Literature

There is an emerging body of literature on food waste in hospitals and its effects on patient and health outcomes. Some of the scholars have undertaken to illustrate why food waste in hospitals is a major problem. For example, a case study of three hospitals in Southern Italy showed that the total amount of food wasted was about 41.6% (Schiavone et al., 2019, p. 1). Additionally, the study also showed which types of food were more likely to be wasted where side plates comprising vegetables and potatoes recorded 55% wastage (Schiavone et al., 2019, p. 1). Even though this case study is conducted in Europe, many hospitals across the world exhibit similar trends with most of the food served remaining uneaten and disposed. Therefore, the implications on these trends are twofold: first, the quality of food is undesirable to patients and, second, the quantity served is excessive. Either way, the immediate impacts include operational costs of the food produced and served, in addition to the overall impacts on the environment.

Other studies focus on examining the relationship between food waste and patient outcomes in hospitals. According to Schiavone et al. (2020), patient satisfaction indicates the quality of healthcare, and expectation is a critical determinant of patient satisfaction. Additionally, the food wasted by hospitalized patients can be used as an indicator of healthcare quality. This interrelationship between food waste, patient expectation, and perceived quality of healthcare means that hospitals face a significant challenge. The study by Schiavone et al. (2020) was undertaken in gynecology and obstetrics wards. However, the findings can be generalized across all care settings where patients are hospitalized and where part of the services involve food. Even in other settings where food is served, consumers’ expectations and the quality of the food and food service determine the decision to finish the food. The same applies to hospitals where patients will only finish the food they like and discard most of what they do not like.

With the extent of the problem identified and its relationship to patient outcomes determined, other studies have explored how policies, measures, and strategies are used to address the problem. For instance, a study by Strotmann et al. (2017, p. 1) examines food provided and wasted in three hospitals before and after they implemented measures to control food waste. The reduction was significant where the residential homes recorded 21.4% before and 13.4% after. Similarly, cafeterias recorded a reduction from 19.8% to 12.8% (Strotmann et al., 2017, p. 1). An almost similar study by McCray et al. (2018) examined how improved services affected nutritional intake, increased patient satisfaction, and reduced food waste and the costs associated with it. The findings indicated that costs declined by 15% while food waste reduced from 29% to 12% (McCray et al., 2018, p. 284). With these studies, it is evident that even hospitals have recognized the extent of the problem and are keen to implement the necessary measures.

Development and Presentation of Argument

Food waste in hospitals is a major problem that affects the patient population and the environment. The complexity of the issue is manifested by the fact that food waste is an indicator of patient satisfaction, which is achieved through the quality of the food and foodservice. The statistics presented above indicate that food waste in hospitals is a serious problem and that measures to address it are valid and practical. The argument presented here is that hospitals can do a better job in minimizing food waste, which helps serve the target population better. As mentioned earlier, the amount of food wasted hints at two possibilities, one of which is poor quality food that patients dislike. In this case, improving nutritional value will help improve patients’ nutritional intake. Additionally, the health outcomes of patients will be better as a result of improved care.

Another possibility hinted in the literature review is excessive amounts of food served, in this case, the argument made is that food waste translated into higher operational costs. Reducing wastage allows the funds to be allocated to other operations that help improve patient care. For example, money saved can be invested in improving the conditions of the facilities. Lastly, minimizing food should help address food insecurity in the United States, in addition to helping in the efforts to protect the environment. The argument is supported by the presumption that food saved can be consumed elsewhere or donated to communities that need the support. Similarly, food saved can reduce production scales, which helps save the environment. The bottom line is that addressing food waste in hospitals is a significant step towards improving both food security and environmental initiatives.

Refutations of Counterclaims

A counter argument can be made that hospitals present only a small proportion of the broader problem of food waste in the country. However, there are hundreds of hospitals and related facilities, including care homes and hospital cafeterias, that are all involved in serving food to patients and hospital staff. The total tonnage of the food wasted by hospitals alone could easily reach millions of tons. These figures are significant to indicate that the country will benefit greatly from efforts by hospitals to reduce food wastage.

Nursing Role in Promotion of the Affected Population

The role of nursing in food waste reduction in hospitals is critical to the success of any efforts and strategies implemented by the facilities. First, nurses are responsible for most of the services offered to patients. These include serving the food and preparation of the relevant diets for different patients. Therefore, nurses can develop a framework that helps caterers to prepare the right amount of food and nutrition tailored for specific patients. In this case, nurses are fully aware of how much food a patient needs to consume, which means that they can prescribe specific amounts. In other words, the hospital menus for patients can be designed with the help of nurses. Such an effort makes sure that only specified amounts of food are procured, prepared, and served.

An important point to clarify is that food wasted in hospitals also includes that served to hospital staff. Nurses can help reduce this waste by implementing a food policy that requires zero waste. For example, nurses can be required to order amounts they are sure to finish. Other measures may include taxing any wastage or donating any excess food to the deserving populations. Regardless of the measures taken, nursing plays a critical role in ensuring that policies and codes of conduct related to food are observed by all personnel. An important role in the creation of awareness to both the hospital staff and patients so that all stakeholders acknowledge the problem and play their respective roles in implementing the necessary measures.

Conclusion

All industries and sectors are responsible for the environment and all issues related to it. Therefore, the issue of food waste is important to the nursing profession since nurses are part of it and are in a position to pursue a positive change in food waste trends. Assuming that food waste can be reduced to zero, then nurses will have successfully contributed to the country’s food security and environmental preservation. Most importantly, the framework and strategies used can be copied by other sectors where food waste is a major problem, including schools and restaurants, and any other establishment that handles food.

References

McCray, S., Mauder, K., Krikowa, R., & MacKenzie, K. (2018). Room service improves nutritional intake and increases patient satisfaction while decreasing food waste and cost. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 118(2), 284-293. Web.

Schiavone, S., Pelullo, C., & Attena, F. (2019). Evaluation of food waste in three hospitals in Southern Italy. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(22), 1-10. Web.

Schiavone, S., Pistone, M., Finale, E., Guala, A., & Attena, F. (2020). Patient satisfaction and food waste in obstetrics and gynecology wards. Patient Preference and Adherence, 14, 1381-1388. Web.

Strotmann, C., Friedrich, S., Kreyenschmidt, J., Teitscheid, P., & Ritter, G. (2017). Comparing food provided and wasted before and after implementing measures against food waste in three healthcare food service facilities. Sustainability, 9(8), 1-18. Web.

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