Sustainable food: A guide for hospitals - from field to plate
The 2009 National Conference saw the launch of ‘Sustainable food: A guide for hospitals’ by Dr Liz Jones, Head of Patient Environment at the Department of Health, which has published the Guide to help hospitals improve the sustainability of their food service provision. David Wathey, Head of the Sustainable Development team at NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA), describes its content.
The Guide was commissioned by Ben Bradshaw, Minister of State for Health, in response to the increasingly high public profile of the quality, nutritional value and sustainability of food. It is aimed at hospitals that provide food to patients, visitors and staff. The Guide should become essential reading for catering and procurement managers and will be of interest to facilities managers and health commissioners.
Practical guidance to improve food quality
Food is set to become one of the factors by which patients will exercise choice when selecting their healthcare provider. Already the NHS Choices website features a video showing how locally sourced, fresh produce can improve hospital food.
The Guide describes why the sustainability of food is important, provides guidance on what hospitals can do to improve the sustainability of the food they serve and advises on how hospitals can assure the sustainability of the food they provide.
Produced in consultation with the Soil Association and Sustain, it includes case study material from a number of hospitals in the NHS, private and non-profit organisations (NPOs). Most of the case study examples demonstrate that significant improvements can be achieved through relatively small changes, helping hospitals to progressively make improvements over time.
Many of the suggested improvements anticipate the forthcoming Healthier Food Mark - a voluntary assurance scheme for all public sector providers of food which is described in the Guide. It enables hospitals to take early action in readiness for introduction of the Healthier Food Mark in 2010.
The adjustment of menus to include seasonally available produce is identified as a key driver towards sustainability. A handy planner section provides seasonal food tables, showing the availability by month for fruit, salad and vegetable crops.
Encouraging hospitals to re-think how produce is bought
Recognising the importance of procurement in the supply chain from field to plate, the Guide covers the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative and provides a number of practical tips on how to improve food sustainability through changes in procurement practice. It also contains an overview of the national contract suppliers for fruit, vegetables, meat and poultry available to hospitals through NHS Supply Chain.
An overview of each of the major food assurance schemes, such as Fairtrade and Red Tractor, is included. There are web links so that readers can find more detailed information direct from the scheme provider.
The Guide also helps hospital caterers navigate the various organisations, interest groups and reports concerned with food sustainability. A reference section contains links to all the key Government and NPOs and provides a synopsis of 23 key reports published since 1999.
Further information
Click to download a copy of the guide or alternatively copies of the Guide can be downloaded from the Department of Health website: www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_098881 or from the NHS PASA website: www.pasa.nhs.uk/PASAWeb/NHSprocurement/Sustainabledevelopment/Sustainablefood/Health.htm
For more information about how to improve sustainable procurement in the NHS contact the Sustainable Development team at NHS PASA on 01244 586 734, e-mail: sustainable.development@pasa.nhs.uk or visit: www.pasa.nhs.uk/PASAWeb/NHSprocurement/Sustainabledevelopment/
