Food waste knowledge base

Practical articles on measuring and reducing food waste, in healthcare and in hospitality.

Looking for a short answer? Frequently asked questions

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Food waste in healthcare: what it costs and how to measure it

Where does food waste in Dutch care come from, what do the numbers really say, and how do you start measuring? A guide for sustainability leads and boards.

Illustration of a gauge with a needle and a leaf, seen from above.

Milieuthermometer Zorg: how to measure food waste for requirement 7.3

Requirement 7.3 asks you to measure kitchen waste, plate waste and banqueting, with a ceiling of 20 % of purchases. What does it say, how do you calculate it and what does the auditor check?

Illustration of a phone held over a plate with leftovers, with frames around the food on screen.

How reliable is measuring food waste with photos and AI?

A photo gives an estimate, not a weighing. What does that mean for your figures, where is an estimate strong and where is it weaker?

Illustration of a round dining table with a serving dish, a ladle and plates around it.

Food waste in nursing homes: why elderly care is different

There are no national figures on food waste in Dutch nursing homes. What makes elderly care different from a hospital, and where to start measuring and reducing.

Illustration of a clipboard with a week of bars and a zero line, next to a plate and a pencil.

Food waste baseline measurement: a step-by-step plan for care

Without a starting point there is no target and no progress. Here is how to set up a food waste baseline that means something and that you can repeat the same way later.

Illustration of a tray with leftovers next to a stack of coins.

What does food waste cost a care organisation? A worked example

A transparent worked example of the cost of food waste in healthcare: the formula, a source for every assumption, and the costs that never show up on an invoice.

Illustration of three ways to measure: a scale, a waste bin with a camera and a phone.

Measuring food waste: scales, bin camera or a photo per plate?

Three ways to measure food waste, compared honestly on precision, effort and detail, and when each one fits.

Illustration of a deep plate with an almost untouched portion, a spoon, a glass of water and a napkin.

Plate waste is a care signal: food waste and malnutrition

What comes back from the ward is waste, but it is also food nobody ate. Why malnutrition and food waste belong in the same conversation, and what does and doesn't work.

Illustration of a leaf on a laid plate, on a round placemat.

Green Deal Duurzame Zorg: what it asks about food waste

The Dutch Green Deal on sustainable healthcare runs on until 2030, with the same commitment on food waste. What that commitment asks, and how to make it reportable.

Illustration of a patient tray with a cloche, a bowl with leftover soup and a cup.

Food waste in hospitals: what works in practice

Radboudumc, Gelderse Vallei, Geel and Halle cut their food waste substantially. What they have in common: measure first, then change the system.

Illustration of a clipboard with bars that step down.

Reducing food waste in care: what do you do with the figures?

You have measured. Here is how to read the figures by meal, ward and ingredient, choose measures that work and show that things are improving.

Illustration of a cutting board with peels, a knife and a pan.

Measuring food waste in restaurants: what it costs and where to start

Dutch hospitality throws away more than € 600 million worth of food a year. What that means for your business, and how to start with three streams and one weigh-in a day.

Curious what your kitchen could save?

In a demo we show you how Waste Warrior works and use your numbers to work out what less food waste is worth. Then you start small, with a pilot at one location.

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