Food

The NHS is one of the largest purchasers and providers of food in the UK. The NHS needs to take more systematic action in procuring and producing sustainable, healthy and low carbon food for patients, visitors and staff.

The actions needed to develop a more sustainable food system in the NHS whilst maintaining nutritional value include the use of seasonally adjusted menus, increased use of sustainably sourced fish and a reduction in the reliance on meat, dairy and eggs. Such actions also involve developing and using suppliers that can demonstrate lower carbon forms of production and transport.

The NHS in England spends around £500 million on food every year – that’s 300 million meals in 1,200 hospitals. So the impact of good purchasing can be huge – not just to the patient, but to the local community through increased employment and lower congestion and emissions from reduced and more efficient transport and delivery options.

It’s not just where the food comes from that counts, but also its nutritional value and taste! There are a huge number of good ‘food’ examples from across the South West – have a look in the case studies area for more information.