The Joint Commission has launched a new voluntary program that recognizes accredited healthcare organizations for their approach to healthy food access and education.
The Commitment to Health and Enticing Food (CHEF) program lands in the wake of heightened nutrition scrutiny from the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement and a more specific focus on hospital food spearheaded by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
“At a time when so many Americans are striving for healthier lifestyles and prioritizing healthy, natural, and delicious food, the CHEF program empowers healthcare organizations to make healthy, palatable food a core part of their approach to quality care,” Joint Commission President and CEO Jonathan Perlin, M.D., Ph.D., said in the announcement.
Similar to the awareness campaign and voluntary pledge rolled out by the department, Joint Commission’s new recognition program has an early adopter in Tampa General Hospital as well as advisory guidance from celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian.
“With CHEF, we’re proving that healthy eating doesn’t have to be bland or complicated,” Zakarian said in the program’s announcement. “It’s about quality ingredients, thoughtful preparation, and creating meals that help people feel their best while delivering an exceptional dining experience.”
CHEF is available to Joint Commission-accredited organizations that provide food and nutrition services, which includes hospitals and critical access hospitals alongside behavioral healthcare providers, nursing care centers and assisted living communities.
It aims to bolster patient outcomes and experience, with Joint Commission citing research linking hospital patients' dissatisfaction with their food to increased likelihood of complications (1.4 times more likely), delayed discharge (1.9 times more likely) and overall dissatisfaction with their care (2.7 times more likely).
Broadly, the program emphasizes leadership and accountability, including the addition of culinary leadership; food quality and access, with calls for “plant-forward, nutrient-dense options” and reduction of highly processed foods, added sugars and high-sodium levels; and processes around education, measurement and improvement.
An on-demand webinar is available to potential applicants outlining eligibility criteria and structural expectations around the three tiers of recognition organizations can earn under the program. The lowest level, Tier 3, requires among other things the availability of a dietitian and “basic” patient education and experience monitoring. The highest, Tier 1, “reflects strong leadership support, more advanced sourcing of ingredients, and an active role in promoting healthy food and nutrition education in the community,” Joint Commission said.
As for Zakarian, the chef will author regular webinars, newsletters and blogs providing participating organizations with guidance and tips on topics like menu design and ingredient sourcing.
“Food served in healthcare settings should be fresh, nourishing, and full of flavor—it should support wellness while also being something you genuinely look forward to eating,” he said.
Hospitals and provider groups have largely climbed onboard with the healthy hospital food movement. Last month The American Hospital Association, for instance, publicly endorsed the voluntary menu overhaul pledge launched by HHS in early July, which generally calls for hospitals to align with a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services memo from March aligning Medicare Conditions of Participation with the administration’s updated food pyramid. Leadership from groups like the American Medical Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges have also stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Kennedy when he called on medical education institutions to better incorporate nutrition education in their curricula.
Tampa General Hospital, which has run its own patient menu partnership with Zakarian since last summer, was an early signatory of HHS’ voluntary hospital pledge. Wednesday’s news from Joint Commission also names it as the first provider to be recognized under the CHEF program.
“Our sophisticated selection of nutrient dense, high-quality, wholesome food is setting our patients up for the best possible outcomes and long-term success after discharge,” John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital and Florida Health Sciences Center, said in a statement. “We’re grateful for the prestigious recognition from Joint Commission, and we’re hopeful our story will inspire others to join in.”