Hospitals serve up healthy meals

Meals are good for both individual and environmental health.

Six hospitals in Oregon, including Multnomah County hospitals, are leading the way in providing their patients, staffs, and visitors with meals that promote the health of individuals as well as the environment.

Several of these hospitals celebrated Earth Day by rolling out Hospital Green Chef meals during the month of April. Green Chef Meals are prepared and labeled to meet a set of strict sustainability and nutrition standards.

Common labeling

The Hospital Green Chef Meal Project was developed by CPPW partner Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility’s Healthy Food in Health Care Project, in coordination with hospitals from across the state. The group created comprehensive meal standards and a label – the Hospital Green Chef logo – that means the same thing across health care facilities implementing the project, regardless of system affiliation, ownership, size, or location.

According to the organization, hospitals have a unique opportunity to be models of wellness by preparing meals for patients, staff and visitors that are made with food produced and prepared in a way that is protective of the environment and public health.

“The commitment these hospitals are making to support the health of their community and the environment is commendable,” says Emma Sirois, Program Director at Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility. “These changes are not easy, and they have navigated a complex supply chain to purchase for and prepare these delicious and healthy meals.”

Hospitals want to raise awareness

Participating facilities hope to use this as a teachable moment with their community of eaters as well as food suppliers.

“I hope it will bring a heightened awareness of specific ingredients in the meals we serve creating more demand for local, sustainable, and whole food products”, says Sandra Kelly, Food Service Director for Kaiser Permanente Northwest.

Nancy Gummer, Food Service Director at Good Shepherd Medical Center hopes, “to raise awareness in our customers that food is more than just a flavor. I hope they will realize that food choices are important to their personal health and to the health of the planet.”

Participating hospitals as of April:

Good Shepard Medical Center, Hermiston

Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Hospital, Clackamas

Oregon Health & Science University, Portland

Green Chef Meals begin at these additional hospitals later this summer and fall:

Providence Portland Medical Center, Portland

Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, Portland

Shriners Hospital for Children, Portland

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