Health Care Without Harm Releases Report on Healthy Food in Health Care

Reston, VA — Health Care Without Harm’s Healthy Food in Health Care (HFHC) program has issued its third Menu of Change report, tracking the progress of the health care sector toward healthy and sustainable food service operations and highlighting the work being done to advance these efforts nationally and in regional pilots. “The health care facilities and professionals highlighted in this report are making the critical connection between their missions to protect health, the food they serve and the food system that produces it”, says Emma Sirois, National Co-Coordinator of the Healthy Food in Health Care Program. “We are inspired by the amazing progress of facilities and individuals contained in this report.”

The report includes the results of a recent HFHC nationwide survey of hospitals that are engaged with HCWH in developing healthy food programs. Following are some of the key findings from the survey as reported in the Menu of Change Report:

• Healthy Food and Beverage Environments
Survey findings reveal that facilities are going beyond healthy choices to providing healthy food environments that make the healthy choice the easy choice with increased offerings of fruits, fresh vegetable and nutritionally dense and minimally-processed, unrefined foods. The trend toward healthy beverages continues to gain speed with over 80 percent of respondents reporting Healthy Beverage Programs and efforts and 70 percent taking measures to increase tap water consumption in lieu of bottled water.

• Less meat, better meat. Nearly 50 percent of respondents report taking HCWH’s Balanced Menus Challenge or creating purchasing policies with specific targets for meat reduction and sustainable meat procurement.

• Sustainable and local food purchasing
By directing their purchasing dollars to locally and sustainably produced food, hospitals can influence broader community healthy – supporting regional economies and protecting the health of farm workers, their communities and the environment on which we all depend. Eighty-two percent of respondents report purchasing and serving sustainably produced foods and beverages, accounting for on average 21 percent of their total food budgets. Ninety-one percent report purchasing and serving food and beverages produced within 250 miles of their facilities, accounting for on average 23 percent of their total food budgets.

• Reducing waste and conserving energy and water resources
Efforts to reduce and mange food waste generation included reducing portions size (31 percent of respondents), providing cook to order or room service (62 percent of respondents) and food waste composting (38 percent of respondents). New this year, the survey gathered information on water and energy resource conservation and found that 68% of facilities reported using energy efficient lighting and 54% reported using energy and water efficient equipment with EPA Energy Star and Water Sense ratings.

The survey was conducted in January 2013 and was designed to gather data on advances made in 2012. Seventy-seven facilities completed the survey, including many that have signed the HFHC Pledge, a commitment to source more local and sustainably produced food among other activities. Facilities ranged in size from 19 to 1068 beds with an average size of 321. They served an average of 297 patient meals and 1,711 cafeteria meals per day in 2012 and spent approximately $124 million dollars total on food and beverages.

The survey results are the basis for HFHC Awards which were revealed on April 24 at the annual health care sustainability conference, CleanMed, in Boston. The report highlights the 2013 Healthy Food in Health Care Award Winners and model hospitals.

The Menu of Change also includes summaries of progress being made through several HFHC initiatives, including the HFHC Pledge, the Healthier Hospitals Initiative, Protecting Antibiotics, Local and Sustainable Purchasing, Balanced Menus, Healthy Beverages, Climate-Food Connection, Food Matters Clinical Education and Advocacy and Public Policy Engagement; as well as HFHC’s Regional Projects in CA, MD, New England, MI, OR, PN, WA.

HCWH’s Healthy Food in Health Care (HFHC) Program works with hospitals across the country to help improve the sustainability of their food services. To learn more about HCWH’s Healthy Food in Health Care Program visit www.healthyfoodinhealthcare.org.

Heath Care without Harm, an international coalition of more than 500 organizations in 53 countries, is working to transform the health care sector, without compromising patient safety or care, so that it is ecologically sustainable and no longer a source of harm to public health and the environment. To learn more about HCWH's work, visit our website at www.noharm.org, our YouTube channel at HCwithoutharm, and our twitter feed at hcwithoutharm.