Avaliação do desperdício alimentar de um serviço de alimentação e seus determinantes numa unidade hospitalar

Abstract

Introduction: Inadequate food intake leads to clinical consequences , on the other hand also has repercussions in terms of food waste generated . According to Resolution ResAP (2003 ) 3 on Food and Nutritional Care in Hospitals of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers , the hospitals should conduct annual studies on food waste Objective: To evaluate the food waste in the form of leftovers, by direct methods ( weighing, reference method ) and indirect ( observational and nursing records ) , of a food service and its determinants in a hospital unit. Methodology: The research study is analytical, observational and transversal, conducted between March and May 2015. We evaluated the food waste in the form of leftovers, ie food distributed and not consumed, meals served for lunch during the day of data collection of 83 patients admitted in the Hospital Unit of Bragança. The food waste was evaluated through weighing methods , observational and nursing record. To each wearer was applied an inquiry of food satisfaction. Results: The average of all Food Waste found in the lunch meal was 31.2%. Although there is no significant difference between the averages of the three methods, there was a strong correlation and a higher correlation between the weighing and observational methods than nursing records in determining the food waste. Furthermore, the nursing record overestimates food waste in relation to the weighing method. The soup and dessert were the components of the meal more wasted, verifying that the observational method underestimates the food waste of these two components. A soft diet was the one with the highest percentage of waste food by the direct method. It was found that patients who needed help in the ingestion of food and those who did not feel normal appetite were the ones who wasted the most. It was found that 73.5% of the patients were very satisfied with the quality of the service provided by the food service and these were the ones who wasted less. Conclusion: Indirect methods used to determine the food waste can be set in relation to the reference method, which is the weighing in the determination of the food waste . It is essential to continue to take measures to reduce food waste in hospitals. Thus, meals should be made more appealing and tasty and with a suitable texture ; assist the patient at the time of taking meals; offer a choice of food and the possibility for wearer to choose and take into account the habits and food preferences of each patient.

Date of Award	2015
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Rosária Maria Afonso Rodrigues (Supervisor)