Food Safety and Food Waste in One Portuguese Public Hospital

Abstract

The present study aims to contribute to sustainable development goals by increasing knowledge of food safety and food waste of meals produced by the cook–chill system in hospital units. The food waste (FW) of meals served at lunch was evaluated for all new hospitalized patients with light diet (n = 17) and soft texture diet (n = 10), during their hospital stay, using the physical method by weighing for dish and the visual estimation method for the soup. Samples of each diet (light, n = 3; soft texture, n = 3) were also collected in four different moments (after cooked, after cold transportation, after refrigerated storage and after hot regeneration) for detection and enumeration of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcus aureus and enumeration of Escherichia coli, Clostridium spp., Bacillus cereus, Enterobacteriaceae, total viable counts (TVC) at 30 °C, as well as pH, water activity, moisture, ashes and protein. The FW (%) of the light diet (n = 64) was 39.8 ± 6.3 in dish and 14.9 ± 5.4 in soup, and of the soft texture diet (n = 51) was 65.1 ± 9.0 in dish and 39.0 ± 5.8 in soup. Regarding the percentage of protein per meal, both light (8.73%) and soft (3.33%) diets presented on average values lower than those recommended by the WHO (10–15% protein). The value of different microorganisms varied along the production moments; however, the final products in the light diet (after hot regeneration) presented 1.34–1.73 log cfu/g of TVC. Counts of Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus were also obtained at low levels (less than 1 log cfu/g). Besides these results, the risk of foodborne diseases should be considered. The implementation of effective measures to increase food safety and reduce FW in hospital is crucial.

How to improve food waste management in hospitals through focussing on the four most common measures for reducing plate waste

“…[21][22][23] As a result, hospitals create significant amounts of food waste every day because it can occur at all food service steps, including storage, ingredient preparation, cooking, and service. 24,25 The reasons for food waste in hospital food services are many and complex, and several observational and interventional studies on hospital food waste have largely focussed on the effects of plate waste which can be two or three times higher than in other foodservice sectors. 23,26 There are many explanations for this such as clinical issues, food and menu issues, service issues and environmental issues.…”

“…Food can make up to 50% of the total waste generated in a hospital ward environment in the form of preparation waste (food waste that results from preparing and cooking of food), tray waste (unserved prepared food), and plate waste (food served and returned uneaten by patients) 21–23 . As a result, hospitals create significant amounts of food waste every day because it can occur at all food service steps, including storage, ingredient preparation, cooking, and service 24,25 . The reasons for food waste in hospital food services are many and complex, and several observational and interventional studies on hospital food waste have largely focussed on the effects of plate waste which can be two or three times higher than in other foodservice sectors 23,26 .…”