REDUCING FOOD WASTE IN HEALTHCARE

1. REDUCING FOOD WASTE IN HEALTHCARE

2. AGENDA • Stats: Why is Food Waste a Problem? • Evaluating Food Waste in Hospitals • How to Reduce Food Waste • Maximizing Shelf Life • Community Outreach • Questions? Moderators: Gayle Swain - Cambro Cindy Geisert – Anderson Foodservice

3. WHY IS FOOD WASTE A PROBLEM The United States spends an estimated $218 billion each year -- 1.3% of GDP -- growing, processing, transporting and disposing of food that is never eaten.  Food loss and waste is the single largest component of disposed U.S. municipal solid waste.

4. WHY IS FOOD WASTE A PROBLEM? • Costs the U.S economy $165 BILLION/ year! • 40% of all food produced in the U.S. ends up in landfills.

5. WHY IS FOOD WASTE A PROBLEM? 16.6% Of households with children are food insecure in the U.S. Statistic from USDA, ERS, 2015

6. FOOD WASTE GLOBALLY • Each year, 1.6 billion tons of food worth about $1.2 trillion are lost or go to waste—one-third of the total amount of food produced globally.1 • To put the figure in perspective, that is ten times the mass of the island of Manhattan. • One estimate - that by 2030 annual food loss and waste could hit 2.1 billion tons worth $1.5 trillion. 

7. FOOD WASTE GLOBALLY • UN’s Sustainable Development Goals setting a target of halving food loss and waste by 2030. • According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Resources Institute, it accounts for 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions. • 870 million people around the world are undernourished

8. WHY IS FOOD WASTE A PROBLEM? Food waste in landfills produces methane, which is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. More than 20% of all methane produced in the U.S. comes from landfills. Statistic from U.S. EPA

9. FOODSERVICE AND BUDGETS • Fixed costs • Labor • Food Costs • Operations (Utilities, Overhead, etc.) • Non-Fixed costs • Ex. Food waste • Systems in place to work toward ultimate waste reduction goal (Saving $$ to the bottom line)

10. FOOD WASTE INFLUENCE • Farm to Table • Waste areas we can control • Production • Handling and Storage • Presentation to customer

11. WHY TRACK FOOD WASTE • What are the root causes? • How are we doing with patient satisfaction scores? • How is the quality of our food? • Can we learn from other onsite feeders in our industry?

12. TRACKING & RECORDING FOOD WASTE • Record patient food waste • Set up tracking stations • Record weight of food waste • Analyze top disposed items • Identify the cause • Implement solutions to reduce food waste

13. HOW TO REDUCE FOOD WASTE MENU PLANNING • Monitor and adjust portion sizes • Improve food quality: • Flavor • Ingredients • Increase menu options • Introduce seasonal menu options • Consider cultural demographic for taste preference

14. HOW TO REDUCE FOOD WASTE MAXIMIZE TEMPERTURE RETENTION • Hot food is meant to be served hot • Train staff to regularly monitor time and temperature- from steam table to destination. • Resolve with new process or consider equipment that support temperature. • Track times between tray preparation and actual service to customers

15. HOW TO REDUCE FOOD WASTE MAXIMIZE RETAIL CAFETERIA • Repurpose prepped or unused from patient menu to retail cafeteria “daily special”: • Sandwiches • Wraps • Burritos • Smoothies • Reduce waste while generating revenue

16. Reducing Pre-Consumer Food Waste in High Volume Kitchens It all adds up…….

17. OPERATIONS & LOGISTICS • STORAGE & HOLDING FRESH PRODUCT • Temperature tracking systems for coolers, freezers, reach in cabinets • Immediate alerts cut waste – ex. Conejo Valley, CA Christmas emergency • Provide data for corrective action - • Provide data history for kitchen improvements • Trending reports – ex. Walk in freezer goes thru defrost and doesn’t go back to temp fast enough, you might have a leak….troubleshoot before eqt shuts down…

18. MAXIMIZING SHELF LIFE How much is food waste cutting into your budget?

20. Fruits and Vegetables are alive and continue to ripen long after picked. They ripen through RESPIRATION.

21. The ETHYLENE GAS Phenomenon • Create Ethylene Gas • Apples • Apricots • Avocados • Bananas • Blueberries • Cantaloupe • Citrus fruit, except grapefruit • Grapes • Melons • Mushrooms • Peaches • Pears • Plums • Tomatoes • Watermelon • Damaged by Ethylene Gas • Asparagus • Broccoli • Brussel sprouts • Cabbage • Carrots • Cauliflower • Green Beans • Kale • Kiwi fruit • Lettuce • Parsley • Peas • Peppers • Potatoes • Romaine • Spinach

22. Storing Fresh Produce in your Refrigerator or Walk-in Cooler Temperature & Location Matter

23. Keep Ethylene Gas producing fruits away from the blower fans • Produce prone to dehydration should be kept away from the blower • Always cover your produce to protect it Temperature & Location Matter

24. Download the Cambro App for much more information about specific produce best practices

25. MAXIMIZING SHELF LIFE RECAP • Proper diligence in receiving • Control food environment • Know which types of produce can harm other types • Tight-fitting lids to keep out air, moisture, and microbial cross contamination Third party test shows that proper storage extends “freshness” an additional 2 to 3 days

26. OPERATIONS & LOGISTICS Kitchen Equipment • The right equipment to prepare, cook, serve foods in a safe and improved environment • Temperature Maintenance Systems • Combi Ovens (dual dry heat or steam mode) • Pressure Tilt Braising Pan • Convection Oven • Proper Holding Cabinets

27. COMPUTER SOFTWARE/TRACKING • Tools within software help pinpoint problems • Better forecasting/tracking • Scaling recipes • Provides history on program • Track production reports • Helps save dollars

28. Healthcare Waste Reduction Assistance • On-site evaluation of food management systems • Waste audits • Recommendations to prevent and reduce • Training for tracking kitchen waste • Final report including results of waste audit and recommendations

29. DATA • Data is key! • Data shows your methods are working. Data helps you pinpoint the weak spots. • Tracking waste. Track daily by type of waste (protein, starch, vegetable) and how many lbs. of each.

30. ANALYZING TRACKING SHEETS

31. WI LOCAL WASTE INITIATIVES • Dane County, WI • 2017 Program of Waste Reduction & Recovery • Municipal Solid Waste Disposal costs more than $1 Billion across the country • Working with Community Action Coalition and Second Harvest to donate useable food • Maximize reduction by partnering with local agencies to get food to citizens that need it • First year, 100,000 meals prepared from donated food to hand out to community

32. Non-Profits • Willing to picking up or receiving pre-consumer waste. • Some with onsite kitchens and may be interested in raw product, especially around the holidays. COMMUNITY OUTREACH

33. KEY TAKEAWAYS • Menu Planning/Logistics/Purchasing • Invest in planning resources. • Proper Equipment/Operational Procedures  • Community and relationships are key. • Designate a committed champion to spearhead food waste initiatives. • Strategies and techniques to reduce food waste are simple and cost-effective.

34. QUESTIONS