Evaluating plate waste in Lebanese hospitals: Implications for nutrition and resource management

This study aimed to quantify plate waste in Lebanese hospitals and evaluate the nutritional value.

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between April 2023 and September 2023. It involved 155 inpatients from cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, obstetrics-gynecology and surgical wards across 16 hospitals throughout the Lebanese governorates. Plate waste was measured using a calibrated scale by measuring the food sent to the patient (before consumption) and the food left on the plate (after consumption) and computing the percentage of waste by dividing the grams discarded over the grams served, or through visual estimation. Nutritional analysis was performed to assess the magnitude of waste and its nutritional value.

The plate waste represented 31.4% of the total amount of food served, equivalent to 366 tons annually in the participating hospitals. The discarded food accounted for 21.4% of the daily estimated energy requirement for patients. Waste was higher in hospitals located in rural areas (P-value = 0.771). The highest waste levels occurred in the obstetrics-gynecology ward and during lunchtime. On average, each patient wasted 404.7 kcal and 21.16 g protein per day. Vegetables were the most wasted food group. The highest mean daily plate waste was for lunch, representing 37.4% of the wasted weight, followed by dinner (35.6%), then breakfast (12.8%).

Lebanese hospitals should take pivotal steps to reduce plate waste, lessen its impacts and eventually increase patients' satisfaction, as well as adopt relevant and efficient strategies to manage the waste generated, as this waste negatively impacts the environment, and puts patients at risk for malnutrition, hidden hunger, and even death.