“Hospitals do more than provide care; they make communities healthier. That includes helping patients build healthy habits around nutritious food to improve their lives.”

October 14, 2025 | From hiring Michelin-starred chefs to sourcing seasonal produce from local farmers, academic health systems are transforming their culinary services to help patients heal. Read more. 

From the article, 

 “Meals in the hospital can be quite important post-surgery,” says  Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University and distinguished professor, dean  emeritus, and Jean Mayer Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition  Science and Policy at Tufts. “Proper nutrition has been shown to improve  wound healing, and it’s important for people who are recovering, who  need more active immune systems and less inflammation.”

In fact, a 2019 study of malnourished hospital patients showed that those who received  nutritionally enhanced food had 15% fewer complications and were 27%  less likely to die in the hospital than those who ate regular hospital  fare. Research suggests that as many as 40% of hospital patients suffer from malnutrition. Similarly, in a 2019 meta-analysis of 27 trials, malnourished inpatients who received nutritional support  had a lower mortality rate and were also less likely to be readmitted to  the hospital, compared with those who didn’t. 

Besides addressing the nutritional needs of patients during a  hospital stay, healthy and flavorful meals are also opportunities to  reinforce new ideas about food and nutrition that patients can  incorporate after discharge. Indeed, argues Mozaffarian, “there’s a  mental dissonance [for patients] if the food in the hospital doesn’t  match the prescription that the doctors and dietitians are giving.”

“Patients benefit from just being exposed to healthy, plant-based and  high-fiber foods that will help with reducing heart disease, diabetes,  and cancer risk,” adds Herby. “Hospitals can take advantage of those  moments.”

September 30, 2025 | Since 2014, the initiative has increased nutritious food and beverage options at hospitals in 31 Pennsylvania counties. Read more. 

Health care facilities participating in Good Food, Healthy Hospitals pledge to voluntarily adopt food, beverage, and procurement standards in areas of the hospital where food is served or sold, including  cafeterias, patient meals, catering, and vending. Participating health systems receive technical assistance from the  Good Food, Healthy Hospitals team to support the initial implementation of the food service guidelines and to conduct annual assessments that  measure progress and set goals for continued adoption of nutritious  offerings and practices, including:

• Prominently displaying nutrition information of foods and beverages,
• Promoting water as a healthy and necessary beverage choice,
• Placing healthier beverages and snacks at eye level, and
• Purchasing locally sourced and sustainably produced foods where possible

From the article, “This year, we proudly celebrate a decade of transformation for Pennsylvania’s hospital food environments,” said Department of Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen.  “Food is medicine, and the collective efforts of Good Food, Healthy  Hospitals bring healthier food choices to patients, staff, and visitors  every day in health care settings across the Commonwealth. This program works because small and incremental changes in diet choices translate over time to healthier Pennsylvanians.” 

September 16, 2025 |  The evidence supporting a plant-based diet to help prevent, treat, and manage some of the most prevalent diseases in the nation is growing. So,  it’s only natural that health care facilities of all types would be  interested in adding plant-based offerings to their menus. Read more.

From the article:

 In the United States, CVD is the leading cause of hospitalization and is the cause of 1 in 3 deaths. Obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension,  cancer, and high cholesterol also contribute to a significant amount of  hospital stays and are leading causes of mortality in the country. One  commonality among these illnesses is that they all have modifiable risk  factors, which include diet. Many studies have shown that following a  plant-based diet is associated with lower risks of heart disease,  obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Yet many hospitals have offered unhealthful food choices that contradict  the healing environment that health care providers work so hard to  foster. This concept is changing, as more hospitals desire to become  leaders of change in the community, both for health and environmental  footprint. 

What’s encouraging is that many hospitals around the nation are  looking to put more healthful plant-based options on their menus. In  2017, the American Medical Association created the Healthy Food Options in Hospitals resolution,  pushing healthful, reasonably priced, and accessible food choices to  become available on hospital premises, as well as calling on US  hospitals to improve the health of their patients, staff, and visitors  by providing more plant-based, low-fat, low-sodium, and low-sugar foods,  eliminating processed meat, and promoting healthful beverages. The  American College of Cardiology put forth similar guidelines in Planting a Seed: Heart-Healthy Food Recommendations for Hospitals,  which recommends hospitals offer at least one plant-based entrée that’s  low in fat, sodium, and sugar at every meal, as well as a minimum of  three fruit and/or vegetable options at every meal, and the elimination  of trans fats and processed meats.

Health Care Without Harm has made strides to improve the quality of  food offered in hospitals across the country. It developed the Healthy Food in Health Care Pledge,  which is a framework that describes steps to improve food production  and distribution, for both the bettering of the planet and patient  health. As part of their pledge, hospitals commit to taking specific  actions such as working with local farmers, increasing fruit and  vegetable offerings, and minimizing food waste.