Tampa General Hospital president and CEO John Couris signed the Make Hospital Food Healthier Pledge, a national initiative to improve nutrition in healthcare. The pledge, supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture, challenges hospitals to create meal programs based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Healthy Food Initiative
The hospital has been working on a healthy food initiative in partnership with celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian. The effort aims to provide patients with nutritious meals, focusing on fresh ingredients and reducing ultra-processed foods. Couris explained that 25% of the food at Tampa General comes from local farmers, and menus have been reduced in size to help offset costs.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Brooke Rollins, United States Department of Agriculture Secretary, attended a media event to mark the occasion. Kennedy emphasized the importance of healthy food access and local growers, stating that the processed food industry controls what people eat and provides low-quality food that can exacerbate chronic illnesses.
Original reporting: St. Pete Catalyst — read the source article.
