The Make America Healthy Again agenda is gaining a sub-movement: Make Hospital Food Healthier, an initiative calling on hospitals to revamp their food service.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled the pledge this week, aimed at aligning hospital food and nutrition programs with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, promoting “real food.”
“Patients recovering from serious medical conditions deserve better than ultra-processed and deep-fried junk foods,” he said in a statement. “Today, we’re challenging hospitals across the country to lead by example by serving nutritious, minimally processed meals that help patients heal, reduce chronic disease, and help Make America Healthy Again.”
Hospitals are now encouraged to limit or eliminate deep-frying, ultra-processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, added sugars or artificial additives, processed meats and foods high in added sodium.
Instead, they are recommended to emphasize whole grains over refined grains, to prioritize minimally processed proteins, and to emphasize vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, seafood and healthy fats.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that spending on chronic health conditions is in the trillions per year.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said that “when it comes to managing chronic disease, reducing co-morbidities like obesity, and shortening recovery times, a healthy diet can make all the difference.”
A pledge goes hand in hand with the new initiative, in which hospitals can sign a form committing to making “nutrition a core part of patient care.”
The form says that by using “evidence-based dietary practices to strengthen food service programs,” hospitals can “support recovery, improve patient outcomes, reduce complications, and help build healthier communities.”
The pledge, however, is voluntary. It is unclear what incentives hospitals have for joining.
The Washington Times has reached out to the Health and Human Services Department for comment.
Mr. Kennedy has reshaped the department in his image of health since being tapped to head the department. He released the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which introduce an inverted food pyramid that prioritizes whole-food proteins and healthy fats at the top while demoting refined carbohydrates and processed foods.
An HHS spokesperson said that after the department launched an interest page in the spring, thousands of respondents expressed interest in an official pledge.
“By aligning hospital food service practices with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, participating hospitals are supporting better patient outcomes and helping foster healthier communities long after patients leave their care,” an HHS spokesperson said in a statement.
