Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz: 250 hospitals join fight for healthier food
A nationwide hospital pledge
The Make Hospital Food Healthier Pledge has drawn commitments from 250 hospitals across the country. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services launched the initiative.
The effort aims to improve the nutritional quality of meals offered to both patients and hospital staff. Its organizers say healthcare leaders increasingly recognize food as part of medical care.
Food and patient recovery
Good nutrition can support people recovering from surgery, coping with infections or living with chronic illnesses. It can help with wound healing, maintaining muscle mass, immune function and recovery.
Malnutrition, in contrast, is associated with longer hospital stays, additional complications and higher healthcare expenses. The pledge’s supporters argue that hospital meals should align with the broader goal of helping patients heal.
Hospitals’ role in change
The initiative’s backers say policy changes alone will not reshape healthcare. They point to hospitals’ influence through their care for vulnerable people, education for patients and families, and standing in local communities.
Hospitals can help shape the environments in which people receive care, including through the food they provide. The pledge seeks to put that role into practice by encouraging healthier meals.
Key points
- A total of 250 hospitals have joined the Make Hospital Food Healthier Pledge.
- HHS and CMS launched the nationwide initiative.
- The pledge focuses on meals for patients and hospital staff.
- Malnutrition is associated with longer hospital stays, complications and higher healthcare costs.