Hospitals are always looking for a way to run a more efficient foodservice operation. By reducing food waste, hospitals can utilize the product they already use and maximize their profits. Implementing an effective program can help hospitals take full advantage of their foodservice capabilities.

One of the best ways for hospitals to extend their foodservice offerings is through catering programs beyond the hospital wall, but that doesn’t mean new on-site programs can’t work too. We found 5 ways to maximize your kitchen to reduce food waste and gain profit:

1. On-site Catering

Expand your food service operation beyond breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hospital conference rooms are a common venue for daily meetings, medical events and large gatherings. Utilize your kitchen by providing catered food, snacks and drinks for these events to boost revenue and visibility.

2. Home Meal Delivery

Help ease discharged patients back into a healthy routine with meals delivered to their homes. Using Cambro’s lightweight Cam GoBox, prepackaged meals are safely stacked and kept hot or cold during transport. Drivers can help answer any questions about the meals while also checking on the patients and the progress of their recovery. Check-ins can help decrease the number of readmissions to the hospital, impacting both revenue and evaluations.

3. Satellite Feeding

Smaller nursing homes often struggle with providing cost effective meals to their residents. Many nursing homes lack the resources or the budget to have an on-site meal service. Reach out to local nursing homes to promote your food service programs. Menu offerings and food quality are just a few attractive qualities nursing home facilities look for in a food service management program.

For large-scale deliveries, Cambro’s Pro Cart Ultra safely holds and transports bulk quantities of hot or cold foods. It’s adjustable stainless steel universal rails hold GN food pans, sheet pans, trays and large pizza boxes.

4. Cooking Classes

Increase revenue in a new way by offering cooking classes to discharged patients and the nearby community. Many people need help thinking of new, healthy ideas that address dietary concerns, such as diabetes, gluten-free and low cholesterol. Cooking classes offer valuable information while also making it a fun learning experience.

5. Donate Leftovers

Support your local community and decrease food waste by finding somewhere to donate your leftovers. Sometimes food is prepped and never used or cooked and ultimately unserved. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends finding food pantries, food banks and food rescue programs that are distributed to those in need. Depending on the regularity of leftover food at your facility, creating a schedule to have organizations pick up food on a weekly basis could help streamline your donation process.

Want more information? Visit Cambro.com or contact your Cambro Healthcare Specialist.

About the Author: Adriana Desiderio is the Digital Content Manager at Cambro.