Vision Software

More than just software™

TwitterLinkedinYoutube

 

  • Home
  • Blog
    • Diet and Nutrition
    • Food Service Management
    • Hospital Administration
    • Patient Safety and Satisfaction
    • Vital Bytes Newsletter
  • Support
    • 24/7 Support
    • Virtual Expert Services
  • Contact Us
    • Get In Touch
    • Corporate Directory
  • Why Vision?
    • The Vision Commitment
    • An Innovator In Healthcare
    • Meet the Team
  • Products
    • Software Overview
    • Vision Software Online (Web-Based)
    • Diet Office, Menus, & Room Service
    • Clinical Nutrition Software
    • Food Service Management
    • Nutrient Labeling
  • Case Studies
    • Gwinnett Medical Center
  • Platforms
    • Inside the Web-Based Technology
    • Web Hosting Details
    • Cloud Computing
    • Client/Server Vs. Web Based Platform
    • Windows Info
    • HL7 Interfaces
    • Technology Partners
  • Trends
    • Food Service Sustainability
    • Hospital Room Service
    • Food Nutrition Informatics
    • Nutrition Risk Screening Software
    • Food Safety & HACCP
    • ICD-10-CM/PCS
  • Tools and Resources
    • Automation Cost Savings Analysis
    • Duplicate Tray Cost Savings Analysis
    • Room Service Checkup
    • Patient Food Allergy – Safety Analysis
    • Professional Associations
    • Free Foodservice Operational Check Up
  • Calendar
    • Healthcare Events & Tradeshows
    • Tradeshow Photos
You are here: Home / Food Service Management / Donate extra meals to a local food kitchen

December 10, 2013

Donate extra meals to a local food kitchen

Donate Extra FoodHospital kitchens can produce a staggering number of meals. Each patient is likely provided three meals a day. Multiply this by the number of patients, staff and visitors in a hospital and the sheer amount of food can be shocking. BioCycle reported that a 1,000 bed hospital produced more than 8,600 dishes a day, which was distributed among the main cafeteria, patients, staff dining rooms and other vendors. Another concern for hospital food services is the waste that is generated from these dishes. Throwing away the uneaten food is a waste and composting requires a well-maintained sorting procedure that may not yet be viable. However, there is another option that can benefit not only hospitals, but also local food kitchens.

Donating extra food
In hospital food service, there are situations where entire dishes may not be touched. Rather than let these meals go to waste, health care food services can save these meals for donation. Hospitals that want to implement a donation system need to conduct some research on local food kitchens and pick one close enough for easy transportation. An administration staff member and a cook should visit the food kitchen and propose the idea. From there, the groups will have to work out proper transportation procedures to ensure that the food will be safe.

It may be wise to establish a two-way system. The food kitchen can make routine pickups depending on the average amount of leftovers produced by the hospital. However, there may be days when more food is available for donation. Space is valuable, so having available staff members who can bring meals to the food kitchen will ensure that hospital food staff can continue to work efficiently.

The implementation of a donation system will require hospital kitchen staff to reconfigure their space. A portion of the refrigerator will have to be used for donation storage. Additionally, employees will have to recognize when the capacity is reached and the proper procedure for scheduling a pickup or delivery.

Though the beginning of this partnership will require a fair amount of work, coordination and experimentation, the benefits are worth the time and effort. Hospitals will be able to save food that would otherwise be wasted and food kitchens will have an additional resource to take advantage of. This will also increase a healthcare institution’s community outreach and sustainability practices.

Filed Under: Food Service Management

Schedule a Demo

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Categories

  • Diet and Nutrition
  • Food Service Management
  • General News
  • Hospital Administration
  • Patient Safety and Satisfaction
  • Press Releases
  • Vital Bytes Newsletter

Recent Posts

Vital Bytes Newsletter – March 2023

Vital Bytes Newsletter – March 2023

Vision Software is the leading provider of health care web-based food service solutions in the world. We are passionate about our mission: helping you to make a difference in the lives of the patients and customers in your care through excellence in food service informatics and extraordinary support. View Newsletter Here >>

Industry Specific Products

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Health care foodservice software features

  • Premier Customers
    Premier Customers
  • Free Checkup
    Free Checkup
  • Tray Tracking
    Tray Tracking
  • Cost Savings
    Cost Savings
  • Nutrition Software
    Nutrition Software
  • Food Allergies
    Food Allergies
  • Software Online
    Software Online
  • Room Service
    Room Service
  • Software Support
    Software Support
  • Home
  • Support
  • Careers
  • Contact Us

© 2002 - 2023 Vision Software Technologies, Inc.
25 Century Blvd. Suite 411, Nashville, TN, 37214 • 629.777.8989
Designed and Powered by Ponder Consulting ®