How Sustainable Are Hospital Menus in the United Kingdom? Identifying Untapped Potential Based on a Novel Scoring System for Plant-Based Provisions

Abstract

Background

Adopting plant-forward diets is essential for achieving climate targets. As the second-largest provider of public sector meals in the UK, the National Health Service (NHS) can significantly reduce its environmental impact by transitioning to plant-forward menus, contributing to its goal of being a net-zero healthcare service by 2045. This study evaluates the extent to which NHS hospitals currently align with sustainable practices by assessing the plant-forward nature of in-patient menus.

Methods

Green Plans from 40 hospital trusts were analysed to assess commitment to plant-forward, lower-emission menus. Freedom of Information requests were sent to 50 NHS trusts, and 36 menus from the spring/summer season of 2024 were analysed. A novel scoring system was developed to assess the hospital menus, with subscores reflecting the availability of plant-based meals, ruminant-meat meals, and menu strategies to encourage plant-forward choices.

Results

Green Plans showed limited commitment to increasing plant-based food options. Hospital menus scored poorly overall (average score of 20/100, range: 9–38). The lowest subscores were observed in the provision of fully plant-based meals and nudging techniques. The provision of ruminant meat varied (subscore range: 0–100) and all hospitals included processed meat on their menu. Hospitals with outsourced catering scored higher than those with in-house catering.

Conclusion

Despite national recommendations to shift towards plant-forward diets, NHS hospitals currently show little commitment and provide limited offerings in this regard. The novel scoring system offers a practical framework for monitoring progress and guiding hospitals towards environmentally sustainable, plant-forward menus.