Eating the patients' food?

Nurses General Nursing

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  1. Do you eat the patients' food/snacks supplied by the facility?

    • 12
      No, never...it's stealing
    • 12
      No, but I know a lot of people who do
    • 47
      Sometimes I eat crackers, if I'm feeling sick because I'm starving
    • 12
      Yes, I do, and I feel guilty about it sometimes
    • 61
      Yes I do and I don't care. I'm working hard and need food to keep going

143 members have participated

What do you think about staff, family members of patients, and/or anyone else other than patients, eating the snacks in the nutrition room designated for patients? Have you ever done it or seen anyone else? Do you think it's stealing, if your facility doesn't offer them to you, patient's families, etc. Do you think staff should be able to have them if their not able to take a formal lunch break?

Honestly, I'm amazed at the amount of food you guys have available.

Most units I've worked on there is minimal food. Saltine crackers, digestive biscuits, tea bags, instant coffee, white milk, apple juice and if we are really lucky and some of us old bags have scavenged unused trays, the odd yogurt or pre-wrapped sandwich. Oh, and popsicles in the freezer.

Some units, it's jello, juice, and popsicles.

Three meal trays a day and if diabetic there is an evening snack. Everybody is on the 1600 calorie diet unless dietary does otherwise.

Your patients would starve to death in Canada. When you talk about sodas? Well, let's leave it at we have vending machines by the elevators and if you've got a toonie or a contactless debit or credit card you're golden. Otherwise, ginger ale is a special order from the kitchen

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Your patients would starve to death in Canada. When you talk about sodas? Well, let's leave it at we have vending machines by the elevators and if you've got a toonie or a contactless debit or credit card you're golden. Otherwise, ginger ale is a special order from the kitchen

What is a "toonie"?

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I used to work on a VIP floor in Los Angeles where patients had to pay over $800 a night to stay there. They had down comforters, Keurigs, satin sheets, a personal fridge, newspaper hand delivered daily, a concierge on staff during the day to arrange massages, manicures, and BEST of all, gourmet food!! Delivered on a silver platter came salmon from the Santa Monica Fish House, filet mignon from the Chart House, and even sushi. Of course a lot of these patients would be npo at times or they wouldn't want what was ordered because they had better so they would often give it to the nurses and cnas. I know it's not the same as taking food from the fridge but I had to share. Sadly, I've had the best food of my life on my unit.

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Specializes in Medical Oncology, ER.

the turkey sammies arent that bad, i just need them to start putting more than 1 packet of mustard in them. i need like 5

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Specializes in Cardiac Surgery, critical care transport.
Snacks and food from the unit kitchen probably make up 50-75% of my nutritional intake while working mostly in the form of crackers and peanut butter, the rest comes from a Clif bar that I eat in the few seconds here and there I have to eat.

Had to look at that response twice-I thought you wrote a CDiff bar 😂😂😂

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Specializes in ED, Pedi Vasc access, Paramedic serving 6 towns.

Yup, I am guilty. I have seen people eat food off a patient's tray after the patent finishes with it, and I find that rather disgusting. If the tray or food hasn't entered the room then it's fair game though!

Annie

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No, I do not steal food. Stealing is stealing, and the fact that it will be thrown out anyway has no bearing. That food does not belong to me.

Just curious- Where do you draw the line? What if a patient was discharged, and you had to sneeze, and there was an unused box of tissues that would be thrown away- might you use one?

Are you sure that's stealing? I have never heard of stealing garbage. I think that in order for something to be staling, it has to have some kind of value to somebody. If I put something in my garbage, and it goes out to the curb, I am and somebody takes it, I am pretty sure that isn't stealing.

And, in answer to the question- I steal food regularly without a second thought. Not because I think I am entitled to it because I work hard, take no breaks, etc. I just steal it fair and square.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
What is a "toonie"?

A "toonie" is a $2 coin in Canada, Canada has done away with paper $1 bills (although their currency is more plastic than paper) and the $1 coin has a picture of a Loon on it making it a "loonie", when the $2 coin came out it was then called a "toonie".

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Specializes in Critical Care.
If you have permission from the facility, then it isn't stealing.

If - on the other hand - it is against policy to eat the patient's food, then it is stealing. And it could get you fired.

Just as a basic word definition, you can't "steal" something that has no owner. If the patient doesn't want the food and therefore claims no ownership of the food, and the facility doesn't want the food back which also declining ownership of the food, then the food is technically abandoned and cannot be "stolen".

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crackers and peanut butter are, in my opinion, fair game. I work nightshift in a hospital without a late-night cafeteria, in a town lacking in late-night food delivery options. Even the vending machine options are limited. If I forget to pack a lunch, or am out of food by my 3rd night shift, or if I just can't keep my self going without a snack.. theres always crackers :-)

(i've never eaten off the trays or snacked on the sandwiches, but that's because there's never any left!!)

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

I have been an LPN a really long time. In the old days, they tracked each and every food tray. But since the 1990's, that pretty much stopped. Food trays would always get thrown out if not wanted or needed. Nothing returned to the kitchen. Expotentially, my work became more intense, so basically, I had less chances of taking a break, much less an actual meal. I am no longer above eating a tray if it is not needed or wanted. I work in a long-term facility and both my patients and CNA's make sure I have something to eat from these trays. If a family member brings in food for them, the patients make sure I know about it. If a patient is out for the day or been discharged, the CNA's make sure I get one of those trays. I work my tail off for these places, the food trays are a small gift, as far as I'm concerned.

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Specializes in Varied.

Interesting responses.

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