diff --git a/src/main/java/simpaths/data/startingpop/Processed.java b/src/main/java/simpaths/data/startingpop/Processed.java
index 967f5d3a7..5a2186fb2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/simpaths/data/startingpop/Processed.java
+++ b/src/main/java/simpaths/data/startingpop/Processed.java
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 
 
 import jakarta.persistence.*;
+import org.hibernate.annotations.Fetch;
+import org.hibernate.annotations.FetchMode;
 import simpaths.model.BenefitUnit;
 import simpaths.model.Household;
 import simpaths.model.Person;
@@ -22,8 +24,9 @@ public class Processed {
      * ATTRIBUTES
      */
     @Id @GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.IDENTITY) @Column(name = "id", unique = true, nullable = false) private Long id;
-    @OneToMany(fetch = FetchType.EAGER, cascade = CascadeType.ALL, mappedBy = "processed")
+    @OneToMany(fetch = FetchType.LAZY, cascade = CascadeType.ALL, mappedBy = "processed")
     @OrderBy("key ASC")
+    @Fetch(FetchMode.SUBSELECT)
     private Set<Household> households = new LinkedHashSet<>();
 
     @Enumerated(EnumType.STRING) Country country;
diff --git a/src/main/java/simpaths/model/SimPathsModel.java b/src/main/java/simpaths/model/SimPathsModel.java
index 684e8f44c..bba70d9b9 100644
--- a/src/main/java/simpaths/model/SimPathsModel.java
+++ b/src/main/java/simpaths/model/SimPathsModel.java
@@ -3314,6 +3314,7 @@ private Processed getProcessed() {
     private Processed getProcessed(Country country, int startYear, int popSize, boolean ignoreTargetsAtPopulationLoad) {
 
         Processed processed = null;
+        Processed processed_return = null;
 
         EntityTransaction txn = null;
         try {
@@ -3324,7 +3325,7 @@ private Processed getProcessed(Country country, int startYear, int popSize, bool
             EntityManager em = Persistence.createEntityManagerFactory("starting-population", propertyMap).createEntityManager();
             txn = em.getTransaction();
             txn.begin();
-            String query = "SELECT processed FROM Processed processed LEFT JOIN FETCH processed.households households LEFT JOIN FETCH households.benefitUnits benefitUnits LEFT JOIN FETCH benefitUnits.members members WHERE processed.startYear = " + startYear + " AND processed.popSize = " + popSize + " AND processed.country = " + country + " AND processed.noTargets = " + ignoreTargetsAtPopulationLoad + " ORDER BY households.key.id";
+            String query = "SELECT processed FROM Processed processed WHERE processed.startYear = " + startYear + " AND processed.popSize = " + popSize + " AND processed.country = " + country + " AND processed.noTargets = " + ignoreTargetsAtPopulationLoad;
             log.info("Submitting SQL query: " + query);
 
             List<Processed> processedList = em.createQuery(query).getResultList();
@@ -3334,7 +3335,15 @@ private Processed getProcessed(Country country, int startYear, int popSize, bool
                 if (processedList.size()>1)
                     throw new RuntimeException("more than one relevant dataset returned from database");
                 processed = processedList.get(0);
-                processed.resetDependents();
+
+                // Now fetch households for THIS specific Processed instance only
+                processed_return = em.createQuery(
+                                "SELECT p FROM Processed p LEFT JOIN FETCH p.households h WHERE p = :proc ORDER BY h.key.id",
+                                Processed.class)
+                        .setParameter("proc", processed)
+                        .getSingleResult();
+
+                processed_return.resetDependents();
             }
 
             // close database connection