Jorja is an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian and Early Career Researcher. She has experience working as a foodservice dietitian in healthcare, as an educator and a nutrition researcher. Her current research area is environmental sustainability in hospital foodservices, and she supervises a number of PhD students working on this topic. Her research and advocacy has influenced the way that Australian hospitals manage their waste, and policies that advise on sustainable practices in hospital foodservice such as the Victorian Nutrition and Quality Food Standards. She recieved a Churchill Fellowship to travel to the US to learn more about sutainable strategies in award winning hospitals. In her role as senior lecturer in the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, Jorja coordinates and contributes to the teaching of units relating to food science, research, food service and food systems. 

Overview of research on environmentally sustainable hospital foodservices 

Exploring and improving sustainable foodservice in healthcare

Exploring the benefits, barriers, enablers and key informant perspectives on sustainable practices in hospital foodservice will help to understand the current situation and opportunities for change. Research with Stefanie Carino, Judi Porter and Shirin Malekpour generated the first comprehensive review of sustainable practices in hospital foodservice. Research with Stefan Kaufman & health economists funded through a VicHealth research impact grant, will create a system map of actors and influences to identify priorities for action and leverage points. 

Read more about our systemic inquiry into mainstreaming sustainable food for Victorian patients. 

Measuring and managing waste in hospital foodservice

Healthcare organisations generate a substantial amount of food waste that is commonly sent to landfill. Research with Nathan Cook, Judi Porter and Denise Goodwin explored how we can measure food waste through food waste audits, and the options and benefits of alternative end of life pathways for food waste. We developed a consensus pathway tool to help people plan and do a food waste audit in hospitals. We also mapped how hospitals successfully diverted their waste from landfill, which can help people anticipate the process and potential barriers. 

Read more about waste audits here, here & here, and about food waste management strategies here, here and here.

Repurposing unopened packets of non perishable food in hospital foodservice

Packaged non perishable food is often served to patients, not eaten or even touched and then thrown away. Collecting and re-purposing these items would reduce waste sent to landfill and save money. However, this is not currently what happens in most hospitals in Australia due to concerns about infection control risks, among other reasons. We conducted microbiological testing to test if the packaging of food items is safe, followed by a pilot study trialling a waste collection process to see how long it takes and how many food items can be re-couped. This research has been used by Australian hospitals to implement new processes to collect and re-purpose unopened packets of food. 

Read more here.

Local food procurement in healthcare 

Public food procurement is a lever to improve food systems by re-considering what food is purchased and how it was made, who made it and where it comes from. The Victorian Department of Health have committed to sourcing local food from Victorian farmers for hospitals and aged care, where possible. Research with Kathy Faulkner (PhD student), Judi Porter, Heather Gilbertson and Alex Chung seeks to explore how this intention can be transformed into reality. We have reviewed examples of successful local food procurement in healthcare and audited where hospital food comes from currently. 

Read more here and here. 

Shifting from animal to plant-based protein in hospital foodservice

Replacing animal protein with plant protein in our diet will have a positive impact on climate outcomes and human health. Hospital foodservices are an ideal setting for such change to occur by 'stealth' through menu and recipe redevelopment. However, this is complex and needs to take into account food availability, cost, culinary factors, nutrition requirements and standards, and requires cooperation between stakeholders across foodservice. Research conducted with Garalynne Stiles (PhD student), Kathryn Beck and Compass Group in New Zealand explores, trials and evaluates how hospital foodservice can re-design menus to replace animal with plant protein. We developed an action plan that sets out the steps required that can help people with the change process. 

Read more here and here. 

Food systems, foodservice, implementation science, sustainability, food waste, healthcare, nutrition.