Sustainable Food Consumption in Nursing Homes: Less Food Waste with the Right Plate Color?

Kai Victor Hansen and Lukasz Andrzej Derdowski
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Kai Victor Hansen: Norwegian School of Hotel Management Ullandhaug, University of Stavanger, NO-4036 Stavanger, Norway
Lukasz Andrzej Derdowski: Norwegian School of Hotel Management Ullandhaug, University of Stavanger, NO-4036 Stavanger, Norway

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 16, 1-9

Abstract: The problem of unsustainable food consumption among vulnerable residents of nursing homes who suffer from dementia is often multifaceted. From an individual perspective, people with dementia who do not finish their meals are likely to encounter serious health issues associated with malnutrition. Moreover, at the institutional level, nursing homes generate tons of nonrecoverable food waste each year, impairing not only their economic position but also the natural and social environment at large. The purpose of this study is to explore the possibility of reducing food waste in Norwegian nursing homes by appraising how large this reduction could be as one replaces traditional dining white porcelain with plates with diverse color combinations. A quasi-experimental method was adopted. The results of the pilot study were extrapolated to the annual amount of food wasted at the national level. The findings indicate that, on average, 26% of food was thrown away when served on white plates compared to only 9% when served on one of the colored plate options tested. Nationally, approximately 992.6 tons of food per year could potentially be saved with only a single change, ultimately ameliorating the unsustainable food consumption problem among residents of nursing homes.

Keywords: food waste; sustainability; nursing home; plate colors; pilot study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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