More Than 250 Hospitals Pledge To Serve Healthier Food: RFK Jr.

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times,

More than 250 hospitals have committed to serving healthier food, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Oct. 26.

The hospitals signed the Make Hospital Food Healthier Pledge, which commits them to providing healthier food to patients and emphasizing nutrition.

"Hospitals have a responsibility to promote health in every part of patient care, including the food they serve," Kennedy said in a statement. "More than 250 hospitals are taking action to improve nutrition for their patients, staff, and communities. I am calling on every hospital in America to join them, sign the pledge, and help make healthy food a standard part of health care."

The hospitals include multiple Cleveland Clinic facilities in Ohio, Houston Methodist Cypress Hospital in Texas, and Sanford Medical Center Fargo in North Dakota.

Tina Freese Decker, CEO of Corewell Health, which signed the pledge, said Monday during an appearance with Kennedy that the focus on healthier food and nutrition is embedded in Corewell's organization, cafeterias, and programs.

"And it's a badge of honor that we know that if you do come to one of our hospitals, you should be leaving saying that was really good food," Decker said. "We hope you don't come back to the hospital; you stay out of the hospital, but we hope that you enjoyed it, you got healthier, and we have a program that helps you be healthier when you're out of the hospital."

She said that one patient who had diabetes and hypertension and took a dozen different medications said that he wanted to change, and the health system helped him lose 70 pounds and stop taking the medications.

"He said that he can walk and do the things that he wished he could do before," Decker said. "And he said that a huge weight was off his chest."

Kennedy's department told hospitals in March they must provide patients with more nutritious food, and several months later, the agency released the Make Hospital Food Healthier Pledge.

The pledge commits hospitals to limiting highly processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages, forgoing deep-fried foods, using whole grains rather than refined grains, and limiting processed meats and foods high in added sugar, sodium, and artificial additives.

Tampa General Hospital in Florida was among the first hospitals to commit to providing more nutritious food and to increasing its emphasis on nutrition programs.

Kennedy told reporters in Michigan on Monday that patient satisfaction at Tampa General has already improved.

Tampa General is looking at measuring health outcomes, and officials are confident that hospitals' commitments will lead to better patient outcomes, Kennedy said.

The biggest challenges for hospitals relate to cost, the health secretary said. Officials have met with Sysco and other large companies that hospitals buy food from, and the companies are working to offer more options, he said.

"Because we now have almost 300 hospitals that's going to send a signal to the marketplace where you're going to see that more and more of that real food being accessible," Kennedy added.