Waste Less, Care More - A Food Waste Reduction Toolkit for Aged Care

About this Resource

Title: Waste Less, Care More - Food Waste Reduction Toolkit

Authors: Piere, E., Thorsen, M., Skeaff, S., O’Kane, P., Styles, S., & Mirosa, M.

Type: Toolkit

Date Published: March 2026

Overview

Shared meals are central to care, connection, and quality of life in retirement and aged care settings. When food is prepared but not eaten, it represents more than waste; it signals a disconnect between food service practices and what residents value. In New Zealand aged care homes, food waste averages 123 kg per resident per year, carrying financial, operational, and environmental costs. But change is achievable. Care homes using the Waste Less, Care More toolkit reduced food waste by an average of 25%, alongside reported improvements in resident satisfaction, staff workflows, teamwork, and sustainability awareness. Reducing food waste supports better care, lowers costs, and strengthens environmental outcomes. This toolkit offers practical, flexible guidance to help your organisation prepare, implement, and sustain a food waste reduction project, without disrupting everyday care or food service routines.

This toolkit offers practical, flexible guidance to help your organisation prepare, implement, and sustain a food waste reduction project, without disrupting everyday care or food service routines. The toolkit is designed to be used as a guided pathway, rather than a checklist. Evidence from aged care settings shows that food waste reduction is most effective when organisations first understand their current food waste and then use this information to build shared commitment and realistic goals, before implementing targeted interventions.

Citation

Piere, E., Thorsen, M., Skeaff, S., O’Kane, P., Styles, S., & Mirosa, M. P. (2026). Waste Less, Care More: A Food Waste Reduction Toolkit for Aged Residential Care. University of Otago. https://doi.org/10.82348/our-archive.00049