Amount of food wasted in the NHS
25 Oct 2006
The amount of food disposed of by the NHS has risen, from 13.1 million portions in 2004-05 to 13.6 million in 2005-06. Uneaten food costs £36 million every year. The release of the figures, in a parliamentary written answer, follows a study by Age Concern into what it called “the scandal of malnourished older people in hospital”. Gordon Lishman, the charity’s director-general, says, “These figures sadly come as no surprise. Far too many people have told us about the lack of appropriate food served in hospitals and the absence of help with eating and drinking for those who are unable to manage themselves.”