INFORM Workshop

Every year, hospitals and healthcare facilities across the UK serve around 141 million meals, but shockingly, up to 30 million of these go uneaten. In NHS hospitals alone, as much as 18% of food may end up wasted, which means roughly one in every six meals never reaches the people who need it.

This isn’t just an issue of waste, it’s about people. When nutritious food goes uneaten, patients miss out on vital nutrients that support their recovery, strength, and overall wellbeing. At the same time, throwing away uneaten meals has a serious environmental cost, contributing to carbon emissions and wasted resources.

Meanwhile, malnutrition remains a growing concern, especially among older adults. Over 160,000 people aged 75 and over living in UK care homes are estimated to be malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. The impact is far-reaching, malnutrition is already linked to around 15% of total health and social care spending, as it leads to longer hospital stays, slower recovery, and greater pressure on services.

Our workshop brings together healthcare professionals, caterers, policymakers, and sustainability experts to explore how we can reduce food waste and improve nutrition across the care system. Together, we can create healthier, more sustainable healthcare environments, where every meal served truly makes a difference.

👉 Join us for the INtelligent FOod Recognition and Monitoring(INFORM) Workshop, a hands-on event designed to give participants a comprehensive understanding of the INFORM system, an innovative platform developed to address challenges like food waste, nutrition management, and operational efficiency in healthcare settings. Through interactive demonstrations and live case studies, the workshop will showcase INFORM’s key features, practical applications, and the measurable benefits it can bring to hospitals, care homes, and other healthcare facilities. Click here for an overview of the INFORM Project.

Date: 6th November 2025
Time: 11am to 4pm
Location: Newcastle University/Online (Hybrid)

Email Now to secure your Place

This session is ideal for professionals, stakeholders, and decision-makers who want to explore how digital tools like INFORM can streamline processes, enhance data-driven decision-making, and support organisational sustainability goals. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in open discussions, share experiences, and discover new ways to integrate technology into everyday practice, ultimately improving patient outcomes and the efficiency of healthcare operations.

Hosts

Hosted In-person at Newcastle Universty's Urban Sciences Building and available to access online on microsoft teams, for those that can't make it in person.

Dr Deepayan Bhowmik is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Data Science and the Director of Research of the School of Computing at Newcastle University.
Dr James Rainey is a KTP Research Associate for Newcastle University based at Falcon Foodservice Equipment in Stirling.

Agenda

Below is a preliminary agenda for the day: