After working in hospitals, Australian researchers set out to understand how hospitals and aged care facilities could combat food waste, including by leveraging AI.
The complex interactions between patient and resident needs, staff behaviors and attitudes, food service operations, food safety regulations and nutrition policy generate large amounts of food waste in Australian hospitals and residential aged care facilities, posing significant challenges to building a sustainable food system for the country.
Now, researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ), along with UQ colleagues and university researchers, used their experience working in hospitals to identify them. adelaide and monash University — which he sees as an avenue to promote food savings in the medical field.
“My motivation comes from working in a hospital and seeing plates and plates of food being served to patients and being thrown into the trash, completely untouched,” he said. Dr. Nathan Cook Graduated from UQ Faculty of Human Exercise and Nutrition Science. “I was perplexed, not only from a sustainability standpoint, but also because of the effort and time that goes into preparing food that ends up in a landfill.
“Reducing food waste not only leads to cost savings, but also reduces greenhouse gas emissions, lowers disposal costs, and supports a better, more sustainable healthcare system for patients by giving them what they want to eat,” Cook added, noting that up to half of hospital waste can be food, while 23-50% of food prepared in residential aged care facilities is wasted.
Given the financial pressures on the medical sector and the environmental challenges of reducing food waste, Cook set out to research ways to measure and manage food waste more sustainably. “Audits are the first step in finding solutions, but most food waste audits in hospitals are manual, ad hoc, and often rely on students on placement,” Cook said.
“It might happen twice a year in a hospital, but it almost never happens in a residential aged care facility,” he added. “If we measure food waste, we can identify what is being left behind and why patients are refusing it.” Cook said the data can help guide simple changes. Cook says such simple changes, including offering flexible portion sizes, more food options, or adjusting mealtimes, can reduce waste without sacrificing care.
Technology can also help, Cook believes, citing new AI-based technologies that offer promising auditing solutions that allow for quick and accurate measurements without disrupting food service operations. “These tools can photograph and analyze plates before and after a meal, providing data about what was eaten and what’s left without adding extra effort to kitchen staff,” Cook said.
International case studies show that changes implemented after a hospital audit can save a single facility approximately $200,000 annually in food purchases alone, with further savings in reduced preparation and waste. Mr Cook said: “I am very hopeful that audit innovation will be adopted in Australia.”
“This will allow us to measure, change and measure again, creating a cycle of improvement that benefits everyone,” he added. “By starting with measurement, we can identify small, practical steps that will have a big impact and help us meet Australia’s national goal of halving food waste by 2030.”
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For more information on Cook et al.’s views on food waste management in Australian hospitals and residential aged care facilities, please visit: doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2025.1715385.
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