Taree's Storm Village and Cundletown's Bishop Tyrrell Place are hungry for change when it comes to food waste.
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The Anglican Care aged care facilities are reducing their amount of food waste by a combined 150 kg each week thanks to MidWaste's Your Business Is Food program.
They are saving about $750 a week on kitchen costs while having a positive impact on the environment.
Anglican Care's environmental sustainability officer Deb Matthews said reducing food waste is an important part of sustainability initiatives which include looking at where their food comes from and the possibility of installing worm farms for green waste.
"One of the key benefits of the Your Business Is Food program has been educating and empowering our staff to come up with innovative ideas to further reduce waste," Ms Matthews said.
Several changes made at the aged care facilities include cooking toast to order rather than precooking and reducing the production of porridge, egg dishes and soups to better meet the needs of residents.
MidWaste coordinator Ali Bigg said NSW government research found that 3.5 kg of food waste is generated for every aged care resident in the State each week.
"It's not just food and money being wasted, but also the time and effort of staff, and the resources that went into growing, producing, selling and transporting the food," Ms Bigg said.
"We know it's important for aged care businesses to provide residents with the right amount of healthy, nutritious food while running an efficient and cost-effective kitchen. 'Your Business Is Food' can help aged care facilities reduce food waste, save money and help the environment."
The program involves a step-by-step guide to measure food waste and an action plan to make significant savings. Participants also receive one-on-one support from a food waste avoidance advisor.
The program addresses unique challenges faced by the aged care sector while ensuring the health and well-being of residents remains the top priority.
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