As part of the training for final-year dietetics students at IMU University, Food Service Placement is undoubtedly crucial for us to explore the real-world setting of hospital food service and its importance in patient recovery. In June 2025, I began the placement year for my undergraduate study, starting with a food service placement at Columbia Asia Hospital Setapak (CAHS). Throughout the two months, my peers and I learned to translate the theory from our previous year of study into practical applications and grew under the guidance of the food service and dietetics department at CAHS, marking an important milestone in our professional development.

From meal preparation, meal portioning, and plating to meal distribution, CAHS provided me with a great chance to gain hands-on experience in every small detail of hospital food service. It also showcased how a dietitian collaborates with chefs, cooks, and food service assistants to serve meals that meet high-quality standards in terms of food safety, presentation, texture, taste and appropriate serving temperature.

Being part of the food testing team, I had the chance to shadow a dietitian and the food service team in ensuring food quality by checking that the texture and consistency meet the requirements prior to meal portioning. The use of standardised recipes and household measurement tools as part of the standard operating procedures also demonstrated their crucial role in ensuring food service quality. These observations enlightened me on how professional knowledge in dietetics plays a role in serving food to patients.

Additionally, the food service placement at CAHS gave me an opportunity to explore how different menus are implemented in a real-world setting, taking into considerations factors such as cost and manpower. In order to suits patients’ preferences and medical conditions, different types of menus such as local favourites, Western menus, and confinement-friendly menus, are prepared for patients to choose their preferred dishes. These meals can be further modified to be diabetic-friendly, gout-friendly, and soft-diet if necessary.

Undeniably, food waste is a common challenge in hospital food service settings due to the unpredictable nature of patients’ conditions, such as sudden diet changes, patient discharge, and reduced appetite associated with illness.

To address this challenge, CAHS takes the initiative to measure the unconsumed portions of meals for future improvement as a strategy to minimise food waste. The collected data are recorded clearly based on types of foods, such as carbohydrates, protein, and vegetables. During my placement, our team of students contributed to the portion control assessment and provided intervention to staff in the food service department as a step to overcome this challenge.

The experience in handling the food waste issue also highlighted the importance of communication between different teams including the dietetics department, food service department, and nursing department. I truly see the multidisciplinary contribution in embarking on the success of the shared goals. It is a very important lesson for me as a future dietitian to learn and understand the complexity of hospital meal planning and the importance of flexibility in delivering patient-centred nutrition care.

I would like to express my gratitude to the dietetics and food service department at Columbia Asia Hospital Setapak for giving our team the opportunity to undergo a food service placement. A huge shoutout to the dietitian and all the food service staff for their guidance, patience, and willingness to share their knowledge during the placement. Additionally, I would like to thank my university supervisor and my teammates at CAHS, Tan Xia Hwee Rachel and Wong Yi Ling, for their dedication and teamwork which made the food service placement a wonderful and rewarding experience.

Written by Kang Karen