Coalition for Plant-Based Foods in Hospitals' Videos Describe How to Add Sustainable Meals to Healthcare Menus

The five members of the Coalition for Plant-Based Foods in Hospitals have produced videos showing the free resources each member offers. Founded in 2020, the coalition's goal is to help hospitals increase plant-based meals in their food service offerings to improve patient and staff health. The coalition consists of Oldways, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and Meatless Monday.

Each coalition member offers unique support services that aid hospitals and healthcare services in increasing plant-based meals for their staff and patients. The videos help bring to life the health and environmental benefits of plant-based meals and how hospitals play a critical role in affecting dietary change.

Oldways coalition representative Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RD, said, "In our video, I introduce Oldways Plant Forward Plates Healthcare Toolkit. It provides 40+ dietitian-created recipes, menus, ordering guides, and additional guidance for adding 100% plant-based meal options to hospital menus."

Anna Herby, DHSc, RD, CDE, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, said, "Our video describes how our prevention through nutrition can be a part of every hospital's menu. We have free recipes and educational materials to share with any hospital interested in making menu changes."

The Humane Society of the United States' Food Service Innovation Team offers virtual culinary trainings, how-to videos, marketing materials, menu evaluations and greenhouse gas assessments. Our video describes free virtual culinary nutrition workshops for healthcare professionals, identifying strategies that empower hospital food service providers to add more plants to their patient and staff/visitor menus."

Karla Dumas, RDN, LDN, VP of Farm Animal Protection at HSUS

Meatless Monday Associate Director Joy Lehman remarked, "Our Meatless Monday video promotes a simple message: one day a week, cut out meat for personal health and the health of the planet. Our campaign provides free evidence-based resources and creative materials that encourage hospital staff and patients to eat more plant-based meals - which research shows help reduce the risk of some chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease."

The Coalition for Plant-Based Foods in Hospitals videos are available at https://oldwayspt.org/coalition-plant-based-food-hospitals.

The videos highlight how hospitals can have an impact on the healthcare system by embracing plant-based menus for patient health and satisfaction and for environmental sustainability.