A survey has found that a third of the British public would support a switch to a fully plant-based menu in NHS hospitals.
An independent survey of 2,000 people has found that a third of the British public would support a switch to a fully plant-based menu in NHS hospitals – a move that could save the NHS £74million a year.
Commissioned by the Plant-Based Health Professionals, which is made up of leading GPs, doctors, nutritionists and dieticians, the study aims to promote healthy, plant-based eating to the wider population.
“Our goal is to normalise plant-based meals, and make them the prime offering over animal products,” says Dr Shireen Kassam, founder of Plant-based Health Professionals and a Consultant Haematologist and Honorary Senior Lecturer at King’s College Hospital, London.
“It’s vital for both health and sustainability goals that beans and lentils, which are nutritious and delicious, are encouraged and prioritised.
“It isn’t about meeting requirements for vegans and vegetarians, but making hospital food healthier overall by promoting the numerous benefits of plant-based foods.”
Meat-free hospital menus
A ‘plant-based by default’ approach to hospital food is already established in the city of New York and has seen huge success since being rolled out under vegan mayor, Eric Adams.Dr Kassam comments: “In New York, the approval rating from patients was 95%, when fewer than 1% of patients were vegetarian and vegan.”
In other schemes, Vancouver General Hospital has been working with Greener by Default to pilot a ‘plant-rich’ menu, and The Hayek in Lebanon has been a fully plant-based hospital since March 2021.
A time for change
“There is certainly an appetite to see change,” continues Dr Kassam. “Everyone has a vision in their minds when they think of hospital food – and it is rarely positive, so it is certainly time the food had a refresh.
Plant-based dishes not only offer health, financial and climate benefits, but they are more colourful and flavoursome, too.”
55% of those surveyed believe something needs to change when it comes to the meals served in hospitals, with 40% of respondents saying meals served do not look appetising.Just 11% of respondents thought meals served in NHS hospitals are healthy, but over half (53%) said it’s very important for hospitals to promote healthy lifestyles.
A switch to plant-based NHS menus would mean patients are served more fresh fruit, vegetables, pulses and grains – all of which have proven health benefits1 and have been shown to improve or even reverse certain health conditions.
“By encouraging a higher consumption of plant-based foods, we can reduce the prevalence of heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, obesity and certain cancers,” Dr Kassam tells us.
Processed meat like ham, sausage, bacon and deli meats would also be removed from menus – a welcome move when these foods are classed as Group 1 carcinogens by the World Health Organisation, meaning they are proven to cause cancer2.
Not only would a switch to plant-based NHS hospital menus promote a healthier way of eating to people of all ages, it would also reduce the NHS’s carbon footprint by up to 50%.
Dr Kassam says: “A typical plant-based meal uses less land, and has a 2.5 times lower impact on biodiversity than one containing meat.”
Could it be a reality?
Despite the clear benefits to patients’ health, the environment and NHS budgets, Dr Kassam notes that we are a long way off such a change.
“There is a lot of scepticism within the public healthcare industry, and they expect plant-based meals to be met with distaste. The survey results demonstrate that the general public would be positive about the switch to plant-based menus, with the majority stating that the NHS should support healthy eating,” she said.
Other key findings from the study
- Four in 10 (41%) would support plant-based milks and yoghurts being served in hospitals instead of dairy.
- 30% agreed that processed meats such as ham and bacon shouldn’t be served to patients.
- 23% would be concerned the general public wouldn’t back plant-based menus being introduced to hospitals.
- 53% worried some patients would refuse to eat plant-based meals, and 35% unsure if they’d be as tasty as a meat-based option.
- 32% would be interested in trying an entirely plant-based diet themselves, with 31% having decreased their meat intake in the last two years.
Original source: https://www.veganfoodandliving.com
