Food Service in Hospitals
Hospitals are uniquely positioned to model healthy, equitable, and sustainable food environments for patients, staff, visitors, and communities. Food service guidelines can be applied across hospital cafeterias, cafés, vending, patient meals, catering, and procurement practices to support healthier choices, environmental responsibility, food safety, and community well-being.
The Food Service Guidelines Collaborative invites hospital food service professionals, dietitians, procurement and sustainability staff, healthcare administrators, vendors, and public health partners to join our network. Members connect with peers, share tools and lessons learned, and collaborate on practical strategies for policy, contracting, culinary practices, menu development, value-based procurement, and behavioral design.
This work is already underway across healthcare and other institutional settings. Federal food service guidelines can be adapted for hospitals and healthcare facilities, and public health partners have identified hospitals as a key setting for implementing food service and nutrition guidelines.
Join us to help advance healthier, more sustainable hospital food environments.