Proven food waste solutions for Healthcare

Because complex food and nutrition departments need an easy answer to food waste

Healthcare foodservice operators have a broad customer base–patients, visitors, and employees–and demanding nutritional needs. With so many demands it’s easy to lose track of food waste, unless you have an automated, turnkey solution. Leanpath’s first deployment over 15 years ago was in healthcare. We have driven out food waste in hospitals ever since.

"We've had phenomenal success... to the tune of saving $200,000 on food supplies, by far through the efforts of Leanpath."
Kris Ankeny
Director of Food and Nutritional Services
Reid Health
"Leanpath heightens staff awareness instantly and creates a culture of staff wanting to find more efficient ways to do their job. We have reduced inventory, waste and purchasing. A tremendous program."
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Trenton Horrocks
Director, Food & Nutrition Services
St. Luke’s Medical Center, Boise
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Healthcare systems can take control of their food waste

Food waste makes up about 10 to 15 percent of a hospital’s daily solid waste production, according to Practice Greenhealth. That means a 200-bed hospital generates over 650 pounds of food waste every day. Based on Leanpath data, most foodservice segments see overproduction driving about 50% of their food waste. But In healthcare, it’s even higher: 65% of the weight of typical healthcare food waste is from overproduction and a whopping 77% of the food waste by value. Leanpath cuts that in half, and when you stopping purchasing and prepping food only to throw it out, you save money on food purchases and make your labor more efficient.

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Meet your sustainability goals

As an industry, healthcare organizations have embraced sustainable missions more than many. The challenge is deciding where to focus a hospital’s efforts. Preventing food waste should be at the top of the list because when you prevent food waste from happening, you are addressing many of the planet’s most pressing environmental concerns. When you stop buying food just to throw it out, you stop wasting the water it took to grow that food, you stop wasting the energy it took to prepare it, and most importantly, you reduce your kitchen’s carbon footprint. And all of these sustainability metrics are tracked and reported in Leanpath.

“Our staff are fully engaged in this process. As we reduce waste, we are not only saving money but enriching the lives of our patients, staff and communities.”
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Sara Ashbeck
Foodservice Program Director
Gundersen Health System
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Gain efficiency regardless of service delivery method

Healthcare foodservice often applies a number of different service delivery methods, from patient room service, to retail to traditional cafeteria style buffet lines. All rely on production sheets. But how do you know if production levels are accurate or if they are being properly followed? By tracking food waste through every service delivery method, you ensure you are producing as much as you need, but no more. This increased efficiency drives fast ROI on Leanpath service.

“Great tool that is the easiest most effective method to track and reduce waste.”
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Cody Williams
Food Operations Manager
Providence Regional Medical Center

Preventing food waste in senior living

The foodservice operation at Mt. San Antonio Gardens, a retirement community in California, is run by Sodexo, and serves 1,500 covers a day with buffet and tableside service. The kitchen team, led by General Manager Jack Forrest (center), began using Waste Watch Powered by Leanpath to track and prevent food waste in 2020. They’ve already prevented 56 percent of their food waste. 

Increase efficiency and invest savings

Palomar Health reduced their food waste 54%. “Our goal overall is to reduce waste and become more efficient in our kitchen production – that will allow us to focus on more innovation and more quality.”

Keep your team focused on the "why" of food waste prevention

Aramark Regional Executive Chef Damon Mangano oversees the food and nutrition services at this large healthcare system running 11 hospitals. By focusing on the cost benefit of food waste prevention, he’s been able to keep his team focused, leading to a 50% reduction in food waste.

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Create a culture of food waste prevention

Tracking food waste with Leanpath since 2007, Swedish First Hill hospital has developed system-wide best practices and led to deep cuts in food waste: a 53 percent reduction in food waste by value and a 40 percent reduction by weight.

Meet sustainability goals and more

Ten years ago the Martinsburg VA Medical Center began tracking food waste with Leanpath. They have prevented 330,000 pounds of food waste, developed a robust donation program, won numerous awards and recruited top talent because of their innovations.

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Know where to focus your food waste efforts

Reid Health created a team to share ideas on reducing food waste based on Leanpath data. The results? A 53% reduction in food waste

Automatic reporting that keeps the team informed

Gunderson Health Systems cut its waste in half with Leanpath. “The staff saw instant results—they could see the ups, the downs, the gains…they could see they were making a difference.”

Share these resources with your culinary team
and get started preventing food waste today

Getting to the Bottom of Top Food Waste Sources

15 food waste fighting questions you need to ask your kitchen right now.

Preventing Food Waste at the Salad Bar

A guide to best practices and creative new ideas.

Empowering & Engaging

Culinary teams to prevent food waste.

Let’s chat

In a brief call, a Leanpath food waste expert can help you understand the problem of food waste, create a custom review of what you can save by preventing food waste in your kitchens and discuss the best Leanpath solution for your operation.

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