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More Than 250 Hospitals Sign Federal Pledge to Serve Healthier Patient Meals

More than 250 hospitals across the United States have signed the Make Hospital Food Healthier Pledge, the Department of Health and Human Services said Monday. The hospitals agreed to cut back on ultra-processed foods and deep-fried items and to put nutrition at the center of patient care.

By admin Oct. 26, 2026 · 7:41 PM ET 2 min read

Kitchen workers in aprons preparing trays of fresh cut vegetables in a bright commercial kitchen
Kitchen workers in aprons preparing trays of fresh cut vegetables in a bright commercial kitchen

More than 250 hospitals across the United States have signed a federal pledge to serve healthier food to patients, the Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday, Oct. 26. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the milestone in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

A modern hospital building with a glass entrance and landscaped walkways

The hospitals signed the Make Hospital Food Healthier Pledge, which calls for more nutritious meals, stronger nutrition education, and a larger role for healthy eating in patient care. The department said the pledge is part of the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda.

Kennedy announced the milestone at Corewell Health Lifestyle and Culinary Medicine Practice in Grand Rapids. “Hospitals have a responsibility to promote health in every part of patient care, including the food they serve,” Kennedy said, according to the department. “More than 250 hospitals are taking action to improve nutrition for their patients, staff, and communities.”

What hospitals agreed to do

Hospitals that sign the pledge agree to review their food service practices against the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, where that is clinically appropriate and feasible, the department said. The recommendations include limiting ultra-processed foods and sugar-sweetened drinks, and giving priority to minimally processed proteins, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

A patient meal tray with grilled chicken, steamed vegetables, a whole grain roll, and a glass of water beside a hospital bed

The pledge also calls for cooking methods such as baking, roasting, and grilling in place of deep frying. Hospitals are asked to expand healthier choices for staff and visitors, to give patients nutrition information they can use after discharge, and to support nutrition programs in their communities.

Corewell Health president and CEO Tina Freese Decker said the health system has worked for years to improve the meals it serves patients. “We are focused on serving whole foods, cutting back on sugar and sodium and using healthier cooking methods,” Freese Decker said, according to the department. “Nutrition is an important part of patient care, which we train our current and future physicians to incorporate.”

A voluntary program started in July

Kennedy and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz started the voluntary pledge in July, the department said. Kennedy also unveiled a badge for hospitals that sign the pledge, bearing the words “Committed to Excellence in Hospital Nutrition.”

Fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and avocados arranged on a wooden kitchen counter

“Food is part of health care, and what we serve patients should reflect that understanding,” Oz said, according to the department. “More than 250 hospitals are voluntarily stepping up to make nutritious food a greater part of the care they provide, giving patients healthier choices while they recover and practical nutrition knowledge they can take home.”

The department said it will keep urging hospitals across the country to join, and to turn the pledges into changes in purchasing, meal preparation, and patient education.

Reporting based on coverage by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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