Vancouver General Hospital pilots new plant-rich menu items for health of patients and planet

News Release: March 13, 2024

For the past six months, inpatients receiving care at Vancouver Coastal Health’s (VCH) Vancouver General Hospital have been able to fuel their healing with a diverse selection of new delicious, nutritious and environmentally sustainable menu items, thanks to a Planetary Health Menu Pilot project.

“Vancouver Coastal Health is committed to continually improving the patient experience and food is an important part of this,” said Darcia Pope, Vice-President, Strategy, Innovation and Planetary Health at Vancouver Coastal Health. “We started this project with the goal of creating flavourful, comforting meals using fresh, nutritionally dense ingredients so that patients had appealing food options to help them in their healing and recovery. We also recognized that this project presented an opportunity to look at how we could adjust our food services program to be more environmentally sustainable.”

The Planetary Health Menu Pilot project was led by Dr. Annie Lalande, surgical resident and PhD student in Resources, Environment and Sustainability at University of British Columbia (UBC), and Tiffany Chiang, Director, Food Service Transformation and Strategic Projects at VCH. They brought together food services staff, dietitians, clinicians and planetary health experts to work alongside Ned Bell, renowned chef and sustainable food champion, in developing the menu items.

More than 20 new menu items have been developed to offer patients a diversity of choices, incorporating patient preferences and ingredients with lower environmental impacts. These include dishes such as Steelhead Trout with Tomato Miso Dressing, Creamy Coconut Chickpea Curry with Cauliflower and Cashews, served with Mango Chutney and a Korean Gochujang Bowl. The new dishes were evaluated by patient partners who provided valuable feedback on the meal’s desirability during times of illness. Dishes that were favourably reviewed were served on a trial basis to inpatients at Vancouver General Hospital. Feedback was solicited through surveys and interviews throughout the process, and helped tailor the dishes to patient preferences. Food waste rates were also measured to complement patient feedback in determining how the new dishes were received.

“We’ve long used the phrase ‘food is medicine’ and we’re finding that this is true not only for patients but for our planet as well,” says Dr. Annie Lalande. “Providing tasty, nutritious meals, which is critical to recovery from illness and injury, also presents a significant opportunity to decrease our environmental footprint by focusing on lower-impact ingredients.”

“Sustainable food and food systems have been a passion of mine throughout my career,” says Chef Ned Bell. “Working to develop menu items that are sustainable and also appeal to a wide variety of tastes on such a massive scale was challenging, but the work we’ve done here has been so rewarding.”

The Planetary Health Menu Pilot has recently concluded. During the coming months, following data analysis, the menu items that patients enjoyed the most will be incorporated into menus across VCH.

This is the first project funded by the Vancouver Coastal Health Boehringer Ingelheim Collaboration (VCH-BI), a partnership announced in 2023 that provides flexible seed funding for innovation initiatives in the areas of planetary health, Indigenous health and chronic disease, and supported by the VGH + UBC Hospital Foundation.

This project was also supported by Greener By Default, who worked in collaboration with the project team on menu consultation, education and evaluation. As participants in Nourish’s second Anchor Cohort during the development of this pilot project, VCH became early adopters of their Planetary Health Menu Program.

Planetary health refers to the interdependent relationship between the health of our communities and the health of the environment, and is an area of increasing concern for health systems. VCH takes a two-pronged approach to planetary health, recognizing the need for both climate change mitigation and adaptation. Learn more about VCH’s commitment to environmental sustainability and accountability as well as other planetary health initiatives at: www.vch.ca/planetaryhealth.

Taking Inspiration from Denmark’s Example in Healthy, Sustainable Food Systems

Since 2004, a collaboration of countries known as the Nordic Cooperation, have been transforming their food system to be healthier for their populations and the environment, bringing to life the vision of the New Nordic Food Manifesto. 

In January 2024, Nourish’s Jen Reynolds and Amy Ford were honoured to be invited to Copenhagen by the World Resources Institute for their Coolfood Summit to learn about how these and other initiatives from around the globe are making an impact on reducing emissions that cause climate change.

We were so inspired to see the transformation 20 years on from the manifesto to now in Denmark and to learn about the journey. Food in public institutions is primarily organic (minimum 60% of ingredients), it celebrates seasonality and place, and it’s a platform for building strong healthy communities - serving, educating and engaging children, elders, hospital patients more in their food and where it comes from. Furthering momentum the Danish Action Plan for Plant-Based Foods released in 2023 charts a path to greater sustainability and health.

In attendance at the Coolfood Summit were leading experts in gastronomy, environmental research, food systems, and more. There is a growing movement of delicious climate action across the world:

• Ikea shared highlights of their many years of work to develop a plant-based alternative to their most iconic food product, meatballs, served around the world, and celebrate its resounding success. This spurred lively discussions about the benefits of meat-imitation vs. featuring plant foods in more natural states. Ikea is seen as a world leader in mainstream climate-friendly menus and was an early Coolfood Pledge signatory.

• The World Resources Institute shared a sneak peek of their updated 2.0 Playbook for Guiding Diners to Plant-Based Dishes in Food Service featuring a host of “no regret” menu updates to inspire food service guests to eagerly choose the most climate-friendly options. The playbook is based on extensive behavioural science showing simple ways to encourage dishes that have a lower climate impact, like serving salads on colourful plates instead of white ones. (see 2020 playbook)

• The MAD Academy shared about its vision for a better tomorrow, stemming from its founding by restaurant noma’s owner Rene Redzepi, as a place to inspire food-based sustainable change. They are training the next generation of chefs, baristas, and bartenders to use elevated gastronomy and impeccable ingredient sourcing to pave the way to reduced emissions in the most delicious way.

The message was clear and Nourish is excited to keep building momentum in Canada: health care providers are uniquely positioned to demonstrate anchor leadership in their communities and industry, by leveraging the power of food for positive change. Simple shifts like serving less-carbon-intensive ingredients, and strategically prioritizing sustainability in procurement practices, translate into putting both patients and the planet at the centre of hospital food service.  This can lead to a thriving system that honours the land we live on, and the health of our communities. 

Watch the webinar on April 4, 2024, to be inspired by the Danish food system innovation!

2023 Food for Health Symposium Identifies Pathways Towards Planetary Health

Nourish Hosts Symposium to Address Health Equity and Climate Action in Health Care

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Saskatoon (September 19, 2023) - On September 20 - 21, 2023, Nourish joins the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and CHEP Good Food in co-hosting the second national Food for Health Symposium in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The two-day event brings together thought leaders from around the continent to participate in immersive off-site land-based experiences, learning about the land and communities in Saskatchewan and experiential workshops that explore the power of food in health care to rebuild planetary health.

“Food and health care systems are enormous contributors to the climate crisis, but they also provide a $4-billion opportunity in Canada to tackle health inequities and climate change,” said Jen Reynolds, Co-Executive Director of Nourish. “At Nourish, we work with the health care community to improve the sustainability of menus, reduce food waste and spending, while serving culturally mindful foods to support better healing and build more resilient food systems outside of hospital walls. The Food for Health Symposium provides a space to connect leaders working at the nexus of these issues who can then return home with renewed inspiration and stronger networks to make real change happen in their communities,” continued Reynolds.

“The Saskatchewan Health Authority is honoured to co-host this year’s Symposium in Saskatchewan to build off of our involvement over the past few years with Nourish’s Anchor Cohort. SHA has witnessed firsthand how food choices can create significant improvements in health care. Together, we have engaged with local communities to bring Indigenous foodways to our menus, delivered a fruit and vegetable prescription program, built programs to support local growers, and implemented composting programs.” said Andrew Will, CEO of Saskatchewan Health Authority.

“CHEP Good Foods is thrilled to partner with Nourish as an extension of our work to help communities achieve greater food security and improved health,” said Gord Androsoff, Executive Director of CHEP Good Food. “It is inspiring to see how simple changes to health care menus can lead to lasting change when it comes to taking climate action and improving health equity in Canada.”

The second national Food for Health Symposium features inspirational speakers including:

• Dr. Courtney Howard, Emergency Physician and Climate Activist

• Dr. Priscilla Settee, Indigenous Professor

• Dr. Elisa Levi, Food Sovereignty Expert

• Dr. Steven Chen, Chief Medical Officer who is renowned for his award-winning Recipe4Health “food is medicine” model in California

• André Picard, Health Reporter and Columnist for the Globe and Mail

The Symposium also includes land-based experiences with local hosts as well as workshops around transformative themes including climate action, Indigenous foodways, anchor leadership, and food prescribing. Nourish invites everyone interested in food for health to join our work to advance health equity, climate action, and patient healing.

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Nourish empowers health care to embrace food as medicine to advance health equity, climate action, and community well-being. We work to harness the untapped and neglected power of food in health care to transition to food and health systems that build health for patients and the planet. Saskatchewan Health Authority is the largest organization in Saskatchewan, employing more than 40,000 employees and physicians. Together, we are responsible for the delivery of safe, high-quality health care for the entire province.

CHEP Good Food For over 30 years, CHEP Good Food has operated within a capacity building model, working with children, families, and communities to improve access to good food and promote food security so that we can achieve our vision of a food secure community.

Media Contact: Lana Brandt, Communications Manager

Phone: 778.833.2954 Email: lbrandt@nourishleadership.ca

Click here for the 2023 Symposium Electronic Press Kit.

Planetary Health Menus Provides Pathway to Transform Health Care Food

Nourish Launches New Program to Mobilize Climate Action in Canadian Hospitals

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Montreal (June 15, 2023) - Today, Nourish released its Planetary Health Menus program to provide the Canadian health sector with the tools to quantify climate action and improve menus to offer food that is better for patients and the planet. Hospitals are invited to take bold action to reduce their environmental impact, use their budget wisely through reduced food waste and plant-forward menus, and offer patients foods that heal.

“The health care sector is responsible for five per cent of global emissions and the Planetary Health Menus program provides a timely resource for hospital leaders to reduce their footprint,” said Jen Reynolds, Co-Executive Director of Nourish. “We are aiming to work with 100 hospitals in Canada by 2025 and we invite health care providers to achieve significant sustainability goals by engaging in this important work,” continued Reynolds.

The Planetary Health Menus program already has the support of early adopters including Victoria Brzozowski, Environmental Management Lead at Hamilton Health Sciences. ”If we can find a way to provide better, more delicious, and more climate-conscious food to our patients – we need to act on it. Being an early adopter to the Coolfood project will give us another lever to advance the crucial patient and planet-focused menu updates required for Hamilton Health Sciences to become a resilient, inclusive, and future-ready health care provider,” stated Brzozowski.

Elaine Chu, RD, Regional Manager of Food Operations at Royal Columbian Hospital and Eagle Ridge Hospital in Fraser Health is another early adopter. “I am thrilled to be part of the Coolfood Pledge to leverage the power of food in hospitals and calculate our climate action. The Planetary Health Menus program provides an exciting opportunity for the health sector to improve menus and access tools that will guide food choices to bring wellness to patients and the planet," said Chu.

The Planetary Health Menus program kicks off with a webinar at 12:00 pm ET featuring innovative leaders in this space. The program offers various tools to guide health care leaders including the Values-Based Procurement of Food in Health Care, the Sustainable Menu Guide, and the Coolfood Pledge — a partnership with the World Resources Institute to assist organizations to commit and achieve science-based targets which currently impacts 3.5 billion meals annually. “As a former food services coordinator, I know the power of baseline metrics as a launchpad for improvements. With these new offerings, food service teams can quantify their climate impact, which is essential to setting and achieving sustainability goals," said Amy Ford, Nourish Climate Program Manager.

Nourish invites all health care leaders to realize the many benefits of improving their menus and food procurement, from reduced food waste and foods that heal to plant-forward climate solutions. Visit Planetary Health Menus to learn more.

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Nourish empowers health care to embrace food as medicine to advance health equity, climate action, and community wellbeing. We work to harness the untapped and neglected power of food in health care to transition to food and health systems that build health for patients and the planet.

Media Contact: Lana Brandt, Communications Manager

Phone: 778.833.2954 Email: lbrandt@nourishleadership.ca