Hospital food today is fresher and more healthful from 20 years ago, which goes with society's focus on wanting better quality food, according to an article on AlbanyHerald.com.
The article dubs the trend the "new world" of hospital cuisine, in which patients can choose fresh vegetables, grilled food--and smaller desserts.
In the kitchen, many hospitals have a culinary-trained chef, Lenny Scranton, regional vice president of Morrison Healthcare, a food and nutrition services company, told the Herald. There are fresh vegetables, main courses such as grilled fish and chicken, and a salad bar with many selections. Moreover, there is much less salt, less fat and fewer refined carbohydrates.
In recent years, hospitals have strengthened their commitment to offering healthy food choices, with more than 400 hospitals joining the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), FierceHealthcare previously reported. The hospitals pledge to use nutrition labeling and healthy food marketing, eliminate deep fat fryers and offer more fruits and vegetables, among other improvements.
Morrison has 630 hospitals and health care systems as clients, according to the article. In addition, the cafeterias are serving more "retail meals," or attracting more more paying customers.
Similarly, patients at St. Luke's University Hospital in Pennsylvania not only receive quality medical care at the facility. They also receive fresh, nutritious food courtesy of the hospital's farm, FierceHealthcare previously reported. The farm, located on the hospital's Anderson campus in Easton, Pennsylvania, allows the organization to provide healthy meals to inpatients and also send new mothers home with a basket of fresh produce, recipes and literature about the importance of a healthy diet.
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