Response from Amanda Pritchard

With thanks for your email to the office of the NHS Chief Executive.

We have a significant part to play in the drive to reach Net Zero in the NHS by 2040. Reducing the carbon footprint in our menus is high on the agenda as part of our regular meetings with food suppliers and our facilities management partners throughout healthcare. To support this objective, we will shortly launch a menu bank platform, available to all, providing a significant number of recipes that are medium to low carbon, which will help hospitals to appropriately reshape their menus.

Since the food review in 2020, strong support has been provided to hospitals on their menu and food procurement decision making, as we link effectively with NHS Supply Chain and hospital teams. This includes Hospital Green Plans, which should provide sustainable direction from each site, incorporating food, whilst understanding their patient acuity and diversity of cultures.

What is also important, that alongside the sustainability, quality, and safety of our food; we must provide appropriate choice. “Plant forward” is very much an objective, often with this choice being the first option on a menu. Bearing in mind the variance of patients throughout healthcare, we need to align ourselves with meals that they recognise, meeting nutritional guidelines through our dietetic colleagues, so we have the best opportunity for our patients to enjoy their food choices and increase the likelihood that they will receive the appropriate nutrition to empower their recovery.

In a patient’s stay in hospital, food is an integral part of the day, creating a social opportunity for patients and their relatives. Whilst in hospital, unless it is absolutely necessary for dietary reasons, reshaping the style of food away from that which is familiar is not encouraged. The food team will continue to work with hospital sites to understand their menu diversity and support any necessary change.

Office of the NHS Chair & Chief Executive