menus and room service: how hospitals can transform patient experience (and save money)

every day, a typical large hospital throws out more than one tonne of food, according to a 2014 report . in some canadian hospitals, more than 50 per cent of the food served to patients ends up as food waste.

one reason driving the deluge is the average daily food budget, which is less than $8 a patient — dollars that are stretched across three meals, two snacks, and beverages per patient, per day, to meet the ministry of health and long term care guidelines . these tight budgets often drive health-care institutions towards cheap and highly-processed foods, resulting in tasteless, reheated meals that are left uneaten on the tray.

another reason for the waste stems from the fact that many hospitals and long-term care homes no longer prepare their own food, instead, buying from large suppliers and distributors. and while preparing food off-site allows for efficient, one-stop shopping, it also requires a two-day lead time — 48 hours during which a patient could be moved, discharged, or scheduled for a procedure that restricts eating, resulting in a wasted meal.

a national coalition of healthcare and community leaders, including food secure canada and health care without harm , hopes to change that. organizations like montreal-based nourish aim to transform the reheated, industrial food served to patients into climate-friendly, plant-rich and culturally diverse meals.

‘how can the hospital tray be a platform to dream big?’

nourish was founded in 2016 with funding from the mcconnell foundation — canada’s second-oldest charitable foundation — as part of its 10-year, $14-million sustainable food systems initiative. nourish, also a charity, supports hospitals and healthcare institutions in transforming the patient experience and reducing food waste. it set out to answer a simple question: “how can the hospital tray be a platform to dream big and transform our food and health systems?”

the coalition started with a cohort of 26 decision-makers across the country — that they call innovators — who were selected for their vision of how to elevate the role of food in patient care. with $100,000 in funding, they developed five project teams, each tackling a different dimension of food in healthcare, from creating more culturally-sensitive and sustainable menus to influencing policies.

since then, nourish has grown to a network of leaders, organizations, and communities and launched a second cohort in 2021, with a third set to launch next year.

food waste dropped from 45% to just 5%

when josée lavoie, manager of food services at montreal hospital chu sainte-justine and nourish innovator, gave patients the freedom to choose what they wanted, delivered to their room when they wanted, food waste dropped from 45 per cent in 2012 to just five per cent in 2019.

the hospital also shaved almost two dollars off of the cost per meal by cutting ties with pricey external vendors and producing all meals in-house. before implementing these changes, a default of 180 patients per day were being served food, with several meals left untouched by those who weren’t hungry, too sleepy, had moved rooms or were discharged. now, the hospital produces less food, feeding about 130 patients a day who opt-in for a meal — it even earned an additional $150,000 by selling meals to visiting family members.

tight budgets often drive health-care institutions towards cheap and highly-processed foods, resulting in tasteless meals. getty

on the menu

why aren’t more hospitals doing it?

“it’s the culture of senior management,” says martin gooch says of the approach many organizations take towards managing food waste. gooch is the chief executive officer of value chain management international , a company that helps businesses find ways to improve profitability, including identifying food waste. “they approach food as an amenity, the same as car parking [lots]. how do you provide this service at the lowest possible on-paper cost?”