In hospitals

1.5 million portions of food end up in the bin

At LKH Graz II, the aim is now to reduce food waste - pictured is specialist worker Bernadette Bergler

(Bild: United Against Waste/Erwin Scheriau)

5.8 million meals are served in Kages hospitals and care centers every year - 27 percent of which end up in the bin. In the current year, the aim is to minimize this figure to 23 percent. In order to achieve this, patients must also play their part.

How many patients will have to be fed today? Who is very hungry, who has no appetite at all? Feeding thousands of patients and staff every day is not easy. This is why, on average, a third of all meals in hospitals end up in the bin. Kages has now calculated that 27 percent of food was thrown away last year - still below the target of 30 percent. This year, the target is only 23 percent.

"The situation has already improved significantly in the area of reserve food. The number has been greatly reduced thanks to more precise planning," says Environmental and Climate Protection Coordinator Rudolf Elsenwenger. Restrictive planning at LKH Graz II and Rottenmann, for example, means that only 15 percent of the food is wasted.

Patients can choose portion sizes
Pre-orders also help: at the Hartberg site, for example, patients can choose between small, normal or large portions. Soup or salad can also be ordered in Feldbach. If the increased organization proves successful in the test phase, the concept will be expanded.