Food waste in residential aged care: A scoping review
Roulston, M., Thompson, C., Pelly, F., Cave, D.
Abstract
Background:
Food waste in residential aged care has implications for environmental sustainability, economic efficiency, and resident health and quality of life. While food waste has been widely studied in hospital settings, the extent, sources, and management of food waste in residential aged care remain poorly understood. This scoping review aimed to explore and describe the existing evidence on food waste in residential aged care, including the quantity and types of waste, foodservice system characteristics, and strategies to reduce waste.
Design:
Scoping review conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and reported using PRISMA-ScR guidelines.
Setting:
Residential aged care settings internationally.
Participants:
Not applicable.
Main outcome measures:
Reported quantities and types of food waste (plate, production, and spoilage waste), food waste measurement methods, foodservice system characteristics, and strategies to reduce food waste in residential aged care.
Analysis:
Peer-reviewed and grey literature were systematically searched across six electronic databases and Google. Data were extracted using a structured tool and synthesised using descriptive statistics and narrative analysis.
Results:
Thirty-three sources (20 peer-reviewed and 13 grey literature sources) were included. Plate waste was the most commonly measured type of food waste, with the majority of studies reporting waste as a weight or percentage. Weighed methods and visual estimation were the most frequently used measurement approaches. Evidence on production and spoilage waste was limited. Ten strategies to reduce food waste were identified; however, only three studies evaluated interventions, two of which demonstrated meaningful reductions in food waste. Interventions targeting staff engagement, dinnerware design, and resident choice were associated with reduced plate waste, although some strategies increased production waste and foodservice costs.
Conclusions and implications:
Plate waste is the most frequently investigated form of food waste in residential aged care, while other waste streams remain underexplored. Although several strategies to reduce food waste have been identified, there is limited intervention-based evidence evaluating their effectiveness. Future research should prioritise comprehensive waste measurement across foodservice systems and robust evaluation of waste reduction strategies. Dietitians are well positioned to lead food waste reduction initiatives that balance sustainability goals with resident-centred care.
Roulston, M., Thompson, C., Pelly, F., Cave, D. (2025). Food waste in residential aged care: A scoping review. Nutrition & Dietetics, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1111/1747-0080.70034
Jasmine Solomou
BNutrSc Graduate, Deakin UniversityNPR Consulting