89 



difficult matter thtin in ordinary families or boarding- houses, and even 

 with the most careful manao-ement the losses may easily be larger. 



PREVENTION OF WASTE. 



Just what proportion of the waste of food in the Government hos- 

 pital could have been prevented can be determined only by investi- 

 gation and experiment; hut from a consideration and comparison of 

 the statistics for the individual studies it would appear that in many 

 cases the amount was decidedly larger than would seem necessary. 

 That some of the loss could have been prevented is evident from a 

 consideration of the way in which losses may occur. 



The food wasted in the dining room consisted in part of material 

 left in the serving- dishes, but mostly of what was left uneaten upon 

 the plates. The waste of food that had not been served was due to 

 failure on the part of those in charge of the dining rooms to return 

 such material to the kitchen, owing- either to carelessness or lack of 

 instruction in the matter of preserving '' left-over" material for future 

 use. It would seem that this waste could be easily prevented, either 

 by more care on the part of those in charge of the serving, or by 

 reducing the quantity sent to the dining- room to more nearly that 

 which would be required to feed the patients. 



The waste upon the plates is less easily prevented. Food may be 

 left uneaten for various reasons. There may be a natural lack of 

 appetite with individuals; or the food may be unsuited to their tastes. 

 Furthermore, because improperly cooked or flavored or unattractively 

 served, it may fail to stimulate the appetite; or it may be unfamiliar 

 or too familiar in appearance or taste to be palatable. On the other 

 hand, the amount served to each individual may be in excess of his 

 needs or desires. In one study, for instance, breakfast foods, meat 

 stews, and leguminous soups were not relished, and from a fourth to 

 a third of the oatmeal and nearly half of the hominy served were 

 wasted. Obviously the amounts served in this case were excessive, 

 and a reduction in quantities served would have materially reduced the 

 waste. This could have been done without aflecting the adequacy of 

 the diet, because in spite of the large waste the amounts of nutrients 

 and energy of the food actually eaten were believed to be sufficient 

 for the needs of the subjects. 



Frequently one of the principal causes of table waste is unsatisfac- 

 tory preparation of food, including cooking, flavoring, garnishing, etc. 

 When food is well cooked and tastefully served, and so attractive 

 to the eye as well as pleasing to the palate, it is much more apt to 

 be economically eaten than when the preparation and serving are less 

 carefully done. A considerable part of the pecuniary, and, indeed, 

 the hygienic, economy of nutrition depends upon the methods of 

 handling the food in the kitchen and dining room. This is a matter 



