NYC Health Initiative Has Now Served Over 1 Million Plant-Based Meals In Hospitals
“Many of the conditions that bring our patients to the hospital – like cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes – can be improved with plant-based eating”, says the hospital’s President.
A health initiative to help increase the uptake of healthy food in New York City hospitals is celebrating the milestone of serving over 1 million plant-based meals since it began in 2022.
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the US, and serves more than a million New Yorkers across the city’s five boroughs each year.
And as part of a government-backed initiative to help public institutions like schools and hospitals to encourage healthy food choices, NYC Health + Hospitals created an initiative that introduced various new ways to promote plant-based foods to patients.
This has included overhauling the menus with many different vibrant and healthy plant-based meals, as well as policies such as serving plant-based meals as the default option. While patients are still welcome to request meat options, this latter method saw more than half of all patients choosing the plant-based meals despite only 1 percent of patients actively following a vegan or vegetarian diet.
Now, figures show the initiative has been a huge success so far, with the health system announcing that it served over 783,000 plant-based meals last year, which brings the total to over 1.2 million plant-based meals since the programme began in March 2022.
“Many of the conditions that bring our patients to the hospital – like cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes – can be improved with plant-based eating, so it only makes sense that as a hospital system, we serve plant-based meals to our patients,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD.
Penne Pasta with Pea Pesto, Red Curry Vegetables with Roasted Tofu, and a Three Bean Chili are among the new plant-based meals available to patients. Credit: NYC Health + Hospitals
The program comes after years of scientific research which has shown that plant-based eating patterns are linked to significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and certain cancers. The foods can also be effective for weight management as well as the treatment of hypertension and hyperlipidemia.
NYC’s Mayor Eric Adams, who has spearheaded several successful plant-based initiatives across the city in recent years, credited his switch to a plant-based diet with helping to cure his own type 2 diabetes and partial blindness.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams tastes a plant-based dish at the NYC Health + Hospitals Culinary Center. Credit: NYC Health + Hospitals
Education and awareness around the benefits of plant-based foods like fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, is key to the program’s lasting impact. Each hospital in the scheme has Food Care Associates, who educate patients about the flavor and nutrition of the days’ plant-based options, and gather feedback about the meal. Patients who are discharged from the hospital also receive a booklet of plant-based recipes to make at home.
The plant-based meals have impressed patients so far, with a positive feedback satisfaction rate of over 90 percent.
Eating for Health - and Planet
As well as the considerable health benefits for patients, NYC Health + Hospitals explains that the plant-based meals served last year also led to a reduction in the hospital’s carbon emissions too, decreasing them by 36 percent.
The drastically lower carbon-footprint of plant-based foods when compared to animal-derived products like meat and dairy is becoming a key aspect of how governments and communities can help foster a more sustainable food system.
Sodexo, the food services and catering company which partnered with NYC Health + Hospitals to create the plant-based meals program, describes the initiative as a “flagship” example of how plant-based eating can help patient health and the planet while also enhancing taste. “70% of Sodexo’s U.S. supply carbon footprint was related to animal-based food purchases in fiscal year 2020”, explains Molly Matthews, CEO Healthcare & Seniors for Sodexo U.S. “Increasing the number of plant-based and plant-focused options on our menus is part of our plan to reduce the company’s carbon footprint by 34% by 2025.”
We Have A Favor To Ask…
Species Unite amplifies well-researched solutions to some of the most abusive animal industries operating today.
At this crucial moment, with worldwide momentum for change building, it’s vital we share these animal-free solutions with the world - and we need your help.
We’re a nonprofit, and so to keep sharing these solutions, we’re relying on you - with your support, we can continue our essential work in growing a powerful community of animal advocates this year.
