Eating ecologically in hospitals
DBU funds basic research and new start-up
nutrition plays a major role in the recovery of patients in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. In addition to a nutritious diet, components such as sustainable food production are becoming increasingly important. To coincide with Healthy Eating Day on March 7, the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) is supporting two projects that promote healthy and sustainable catering in hospitals and care facilities - a project by Charité Berlin and the Munich-based start-up HospiChef.
Benefits for people and nature
The Association for Nutrition and Dietetics is holding its 28th Healthy Eating Day on March 7. One of the aims is to anchor the benefits of a healthy and ecological diet even more firmly in society and the healthcare system. DBU Secretary-General Alexander Bonde sees a lot of potential: "The healthcare sector, with its clinics, retirement homes and nursing homes, has a great responsibility when it comes to healthy and sustainable nutrition - and therefore also an important lever. Balanced catering, which also takes regional and organic production into account, makes an enormously important contribution."
Berlin Charité researches the opportunities of the Planetary Health Diet for healthier eating
Berlin's Charité hospital, one of the capital's most traditional hospitals and one of the largest university hospitals in Europe, is researching the current state of nutrition in hospitals and care homes and examining how this can be made healthier and more sustainable in line with the Planetary Health Diet (PHD). The DBU is funding the project with around 125,000 euros. The PHD is a diet developed on a scientific basis that protects people and the planet in equal measure. A report published in 2019 involved almost 40 researchers from 16 countries, including climate and nutrition scientists. Dr. Lisa Pörtner, the Charité scientist responsible for the DBU-funded project, explains: "The Planetary Health Diet takes into account both health and ecological factors. One of the aims is to reduce the proportion of animal-based and sugary products." At the same time, attention is paid to the intake of important nutrients. Pörtner continues: "Whole plant-based foods such as whole grains, vegetables, fruit, pulses and nuts play an important role in a healthier, more sustainable diet. Our study aims to provide insights into how catering in hospitals and care facilities can be improved in this regard." According to Pörtner, the aim is also to reduce the proportion of animal products in food. "Red and processed meat in particular is not beneficial to health and also has a high environmental footprint," says the Charité employee.
Limited budget for food often a challenge
According to Pörtner, the problems with introducing health-promoting and organic food are manifold: "There is often a lack of knowledge and time to establish such a nutrition plan in clinics and nursing homes." Funding is often a major hurdle for many facilities. However, this is not absolutely necessary. Pörtner "The Planetary Health Diet is not necessarily more expensive in the long term than a conventional diet: Reducing meat, for example, can often save money. However, some healthcare facilities have a very limited budget for food, which is insufficient from the outset." According to her, facilities also have concerns about upsetting their guests by switching to a diet in line with the Planetary Health Diet. This is where "educational work is needed to raise awareness of the positive effects for patients."
Using an app for personal, healthy meals
One approach to improving the nutritional situation in German healthcare facilities is offered by the start-up HospiChef from Munich, which also received 125,000 euros in funding from the DBU. The three founders Jan-Malte Bodenbach, Simon Starfinger and Andreas Hartung want to use their software to personalize catering in healthcare facilities. An additional advantage: hospitals and staff save time and money. Bodenbach: "The difficulty of planning sometimes forces German hospitals to overproduce and to throw away up to 30 percent of portioned meals. At the same time, nursing staff often have to request meals themselves, which takes up valuable time in what is already a stressful job." According to the startup, patients can use the HospiChef application to digitally compile their own meals - with support from the nutritionist if required. In addition, the data collected over the entire duration of the app is used to more effectively predict the quantities of food required.
Sustainable optimization of hospital catering
According to the DBU-funded start-up, it is already working with several hospitals and reaches around 100,000 patients every year. HospiChef co-founder Bodenbach: "We expect to be able to reduce the amount of food waste by up to 60 percent with our app. In addition, nursing staff will have more time for their core tasks." According to Bodenbach, HospiChef also anticipates potential savings in the six-figure range for small and medium-sized clinics. Bodenbach: "Everyone involved would benefit from the application. This is how change can succeed."
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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