The warm meal "foodprint"of the UMCG. Environmental impact of a hospital food system.

SUMMARY Food is the third largest contributor to human-caused environmental impact (FAO, 2009). Food has an environmental impact on fields like: CO2 emission, energy use, land use, and water use (FAO, 2009). World-wide 30% to 50% of all food is lost or wasted somewhere along the food-chain (Gustavsson et al., 2011, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, 2013). For every calorie of food, approximately seven to ten calories of energy are embodied in that food (Institution of Mechanical Engineers, 2013). Food-waste can occur everywhere in the food chain, and hospitals are no exception to that. Although the hospital food system is the subject of research both in the literature and among Dutch (general) hospitals, there are no studies available (to the best of my knowledge) that focus on the environmental impact of the food system of a hospital. This research aims to get more insight in the environmental impact from the food streams flowing in, within and out of the University Medical Center in Groningen (UMCG). The main research question is: “What are possibilities to reduce the environmental impact resulting from the current food system of the UMCG?” The focus lies on the warm meals served to patients. Because the food system will be changed in March 2013, this thesis gives a baseline for future comparisons between food systems. In 2011 300 ton food was purchased by the UMCG for warm meals served to the patients. Each day approximately 700 warm meals are prepared. The food for these meals travels from the storage, to the kitchen (where the cooking and portioning takes place) and eventually to the wards. At the wards, the patients consume the food. The food-waste is partially discarded at the ward and partially returned to the kitchen. In 2011, 175 ton of food attributed to the mean meals was wasted. This is about 58% of the purchased food, representing a value of €0.6 million. The warm meals served in the UMCG account for an indirect energy use of 8900 GJ and a CO2 eq emission of 789 ton, which is 1% of the total CO2 footprint of the UMCG. Additional to the food-waste, the UMCG has another waste stream in de form of grease from grease traps. This is approximately 100 ton each year. The possibilities for reducing the environmental impact are summarized in the form of ‘hot-spots’ which are either policy or technical measures, divided in short term and long term measures. These ‘hot-spots’ are: Policy measures • Relatively easy and short term measures o Initiate food theme days o Reduce meat consumption • Complex and long term measures o Donate left-over food to food banks Technical measures • Relatively easy and short term measures o Reduce waste-costs o Install separate meters at the kitchen • Complex and long term measures o Use environmental benchmarks o Install a Pharma filter All these measures have benefits either on the People (e.g. green image, healthy diet), Planet (benefits the environment) or Profit-side (reduces the costs). All the described measures would fit well into the intentions of the UMCG to put more emphasis on Corporate Social Responsibility in managing the hospital.