Hospitals are places of healing, yet the food they serve often misses the mark, a logistical function rather than a strategic tool. What if food was seen as a climate solution, a resilience strategy, and a critical part of patient care? In a time of environmental upheaval, rising food costs, and increasing pressure on health systems, can our approach to food evolve to meet the moment?
Globally, food systems contribute to nearly one-third of greenhouse gas emissions. In Canada, health care institutions serve millions of meals each year, shaping diets, supply chains, and environmental impact. When Quebec’s CISSS de Laval measured its emissions, it found that food accounted for 11% of its carbon footprint. Red meat alone made up a third of those emissions despite being only 3% of the menu. The numbers reveal an untapped opportunity: food purchasing decisions hold immense power to reduce emissions, strengthen local economies, and support sustainable farming. The Coolfood Pledge is a growing global movement of organizations committing to reduce food-related greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030. Currently, 2.1 billion meals per year are focused on delicious climate action and your food service can take part.
If food is medicine, then shifts to sustainable food and diets can both reduce chronic disease and help address the climate crisis.
BEYOND PLANT-FORWARD: THE FULL SPECTRUM OF SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
While plant-forward eating is a well-known strategy for reducing food-related emissions, a truly sustainable food system requires a broader lens. Every ingredient in a hospital meal represents a decision point that affects planetary health. To reimagine hospital food as a force for sustainability, we must consider multiple factors:
1. RETHINKING PROCUREMENT FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE
Many hospital food contracts favor large-scale, conventional suppliers, limiting access to low-carbon, sustainable and local alternatives. By setting sustainability goals for procurement, institutions can shift demand toward climate-smart food sources. Supporting sustainable, regenerative agriculture means prioritizing farms that focus on soil health, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration. Local and regional sourcing reduces transportation emissions while strengthening food system resilience, and designing menus around seasonal availability lowers reliance on energy-intensive storage and imports.
2. TACKLING FOOD WASTE AS A CLIMATE STRATEGY
Globally, nearly one-third of food produced is wasted. In hospitals, tray waste is typically high, and reduction strategies can have an outsized impact. On-demand ordering models reduce overproduction by shifting from bulk meal prep to patient-preferred portions. Food recovery programs ensure surplus food is redirected to community organizations rather than landfills. Technology can also play a role in sustainability, as data-driven waste tracking helps identify patterns and cut unnecessary food losses.
3. SUPPORTING CLIMATE-SMART PROTEINS
Reducing red meat is an important step, but a transition to sustainable protein sources must also consider alternatives. Sustainably sourced seafood should come from low-impact fisheries and responsible aquaculture practices. Diversifying protein sources by incorporating legumes, nuts, and responsibly raised poultry adds variety and lowers environmental impact. At the same time, institutions must be mindful of ultra-processed meat alternatives, ensuring plant-based proteins are whole-food based and minimally processed to maintain nutritional integrity.
Nourish’s Sustainable Menu Guide, an interactive website created by and for Canadian food service managers, supports the creation of increasingly sustainable menus, one step at a time. The Guide simplifies efforts to reduce the environmental impact of diets by providing readers with a guided walk through the menu design process, organized by food category: from soups and main meals to desserts, beverages, and snacks.
4. EMBEDDING CULTURAL AND SOCIAL EQUITY IN MENUS
A sustainable food system cannot ignore social equity. Many Indigenous and culturally diverse foods are inherently climate-friendly, yet they are often underrepresented in institutional menus. Expanding Indigenous food offerings can support First Nations, Inuit, and Métis producers while honoring traditional foodways. Prioritizing fair-trade and ethically sourced ingredients ensures that sustainability efforts do not exploit vulnerable workers. Equally important is making sustainable meals accessible and appealing to a broad audience by offering familiar, delicious, and culturally meaningful options.
5. SHIFTING INSTITUTIONAL MINDSETS ON FOOD’S ROLE
For too long, hospital food has been treated as an ancillary service, separate from health outcomes and environmental responsibility. To fully integrate sustainability, institutions must reframe food as a core component of climate and health strategies. This requires linking food choices to broader sustainability goals, training staff and leadership on food’s climate impact, and engaging patients, staff, and visitors in the process. Proven behavioral science techniques, such as menu labeling, chef-led education, and making plant-forward meals the default, can encourage lasting change.
In a time of environmental upheaval, rising food costs, and increasing pressure on health systems, can our approach to food evolve to meet the moment?
PROOF OF CONCEPT: LEADING INSTITUTIONS PAVING THE WAY
Health institutions across North America are already demonstrating the feasibility of sustainable food transformations. Vancouver General Hospital, a 955-bed facility has implemented Planetary Health Menus, proving that sustainable meals are both feasible and well-received. New York City’s eleven public hospitals introduced plant-based meals as the default, achieving a 95% patient satisfaction rate. Denmark’s public institutions now source 60% of their food organically, backed by national policies that prioritize sustainable procurement. Nourish’s Planetary Health community of practice currently has 34 hospitals in Canada signed on to the Coolfood Pledge, committing 9.2 million meals to delicious climate action and the goal of reducing food-related emissions by 25% by 2030.
NEXT STEPS FOR HEALTH CARE INSTITUTIONS READY TO ACT
For institutions seeking a roadmap to sustainable food, there are clear, actionable steps. Setting sustainability goals for procurement and embedding metrics into RFPs and supplier contracts can make climateconscious purchasing a norm. Reducing food waste and tracking it over time can help adjust production and minimize excess. Piloting sustainable menus by starting with small shifts, such as introducing plant-forward options, emphasizing local sourcing, and making seasonal adjustments are great ways to start. Educating staff on the intersection of food, climate, and health ensures that sustainability goals become embedded in daily practice and the workplace more engaging. Finally, joining global commitments like the Coolfood Pledge provides structured support and accountability for institutions seeking to track and improve their sustainability efforts.
A CLOSING INVITATION: FOOD AS A CATALYST FOR CHANGE
The question is no longer whether health care institutions should act on food sustainability; it is how quickly they will move. Every meal served is an opportunity to heal not just individuals, but communities and the planet. Food is not just fuel. It is an economic force, a climate solution, and a social justice issue. Health care has the power and the responsibility to leverage it wisely.
What future do we want to serve?
Now is the time to decide.
Jennifer Reynolds is co-Executive Director, Nourish www.nourishleaderhip.ca