Healthy food for healthy hospitals
HRH Prince Charles meet senior hospital managers to discuss hospital food.
Examining links between environmental issues, including climate change, and human health were his concerns.
Climate change is likely to place increasing demand on the NHS.
The National Audit Office estimated in 2003 that obesity costs the NHS at least £500m a year - and the wider economy more than £2bn a year in lost productivity. In fact, we may be following the USA in the weight obesity places - it may threaten the future of NHS.
About £500m is spent on hospital food in England each year - about 60p for each meal. But poor-quality food in hospitals means that 13million meals are thrown away every year, at a cost of £2.65 each.
go organic
Prince Charles highlighted the benefits of using local, organic, seasonal fresh produce. Patients benefit from plentiful fruit and veg bought in season at prices the NHS can afford. British farmers benefit. Food miles are reduced and waste and subsequent greenhouse gases are minimised.
He challenged the chief executives to improve the quality of hospital food, emphasizing: “We are what we eat…we go into hospital to get well, so what we eat must help, not hinder that process.”
The Prince urged the attendees to regroup in six months time to report progress.
well received
Peter Melchett, Soil Association policy director, said: “It was an extraordinarily positive seminar with widespread determination across the board to change menus at UK hospitals for the better”.
Rosie Blackburn, Sustain; the alliance for better food and farming project officer said: “The main perceived barrier to improving menus is invariably cost, yet when we talk to NHS catering managers we explain that there are many things they can do with their food to make it more sustainable, healthier and tastier without necessarily exceeding their current budget”.
nurses needed
The Hospital Caterers Association (HCA) has said it wanted to see the NHS provide a “hotel-style” food experience. But when one in five patients ‘leaves hospital malnourished as frail aren’t helped to eat’, hospitals clearly need more staff as well.
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April 4th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Several Days later the Sustainable Development Commision issued a report:
Healthy Futures #7: The NHS and Climate Change
This publication is the seventh in a series that explores the NHS contribution to sustainable development. It looks at why and how NHS organisations can take serious action against climate change, drawing from examples of NHS trusts which have demonstrated significant results through the NHS Carbon Management Programme from the Carbon Trust.
download at http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/publications/downloads/HealthyFutures7.pdf