Assessment and Evaluation of Food Waste at AL-Khor Hospital -Hamad Medical Corporation in the State of Qatar

Abstract

Background: Food waste (FW) has been linked with nutrient intake, menu planned, food acceptability, costs, and environmental impacts. Objectives: This project aims to evaluate FW in the units of AL-Khor hospital- Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in the state of Qatar. Methods: The evaluation of the FW of main meals and nourishments was performed over six months (Jan -June) / 2019, For each client, the type of diet and FW were evaluated during the length of the study (covering 563 meals and 211 snacks). The FW of the dish was calculated by the physical method by weighing before and after distribution. Dietary Intake Monitoring System (DIMS) was used to record plate contents before and after consumption for the 563 patients at 3 main meals and 3 snacks. Results: The average waste rate was calculated as the weighted average of food remaining in the plate in all meals and snacks in relation to the weight of served food. The current study allowed us to estimate that (26.8%) of the food served in general hospital was wasted. Conclusion: establishing an efficient communication structure involving all actors along the food supply chain contributes to decreasing food waste is crucial.

Keywords: food waste; food service facilities; resource efficiency; plate waste (PW); serving losses, AKH, HMC.

DOI: 10.7176/FSQM/109-04

Publication date:June 30^th 2021