Loyd Grossman and celebrity chefs join calls for hospital food standards

With attention now turning to patient meals in the horse meat scandal [1], journalist and broadcaster Loyd Grossman, and celebrity chefs Albert Roux and John Benson-Smith are joining calls led by a coalition of eighty nine organisations [2] for the introduction of legally binding hospital food standards.

They have added their support to a report published today, ‘Twenty years of hospital food failure: Why we need mandatory standards, not more ineffective voluntary initiatives’ [3], showing that Government has wasted more than fifty million pounds on failed attempts to improve patient meals since 1992.

The report called Twenty years of hospital food failure found that between 1992 and 2013:

• Government has introduced twenty one failed voluntary initiatives to improve hospital food, costing more than £54 million of taxpayers’ money - enough to pay for thirty four new hospital kitchens [4].
•  Journalist and broadcaster Loyd Grossman and five different celebrity chefs have been appointed to lead these voluntary initiatives: Albert Roux, John Benson-Smith, Mark Hix, Anton Edelmann and Heston Blumenthal.
•  Government has ignored at least fourteen warnings from government advisers, MPs, commercial caterers, and health, environmental and animal welfare organisations that voluntary initiatives to improve hospital food were failing. 

The report concludes that these initiatives failed because they relied on hospitals to voluntarily adopt their recommendations, rather than being made compulsory like nutritional standards introduced for school food.

Earlier this week, the Academy of Royal Colleges, which represents Britain’s 220,000 doctors, announced its public support for mandatory standards for hospital food in all UK hospitals [5]. The Academy described Jeremy Hunt’s proposals to improve hospital food as “vague and voluntary”.  

Loyd Grossman OBE [6], who led the Government’s Better Hospital Food initiative between 2001 and 2006, said: “Serving fresh and nutritious hospital food is vital to improving patient health, and to raising morale – amongst NHS staff, patients and their families.

My team and I worked hard for five years to improve patient meals but progress was much slower than we would have liked. Although we had a number of successes, we did not achieve the transformation which we had hoped for and which patients deserve. While I could see what needed to be done and what could be done, our efforts were hampered by a lack of political will.

There has not yet been a noticeable change in the way hospital food is produced, prepared, cooked and served. I welcome the publication of this report and hope that it prompts government to take a new and effective approach to improving hospital food, including by requiring it to meet mandatory standards. 

Albert Roux OBE [7], who was asked in 1995 by the Department of Health to give his opinion about how to improve hospital food, said: “We must not think that high quality hospital food is too difficult or expensive to achieve. After all, simple food is often the best food – and buying fresh seasonal produce is cheap to buy.

If we have learned anything from the last twenty years it is that meetings, speeches and gimmicks do not work – what we need now is change to the whole hospital food system, starting with the introduction of food standards for every patient meal.”

John Benson-Smith [8], who was appointed to work with Loyd Grossman to support the Better Hospital Food Initiative, said: “The complete experience I found fascinating, joyful, inspiring, frustrating, bewildering and one which I will never forget.

The huge task to improve the food that was placed on the patient's plate was indeed of an epic scale and proportion. Hospital food does not need 'tickling' or a handful of greatly composed PR words again. It is in need of a huge re-think.”

Alex Jackson, Co-ordinator of the Campaign for Better Hospital Food [1], said: “This report must serve as a lesson to Jeremy Hunt that simply publishing recommendations for the improvement of hospital food isn’t good enough, as every one of his predecessors in the last twenty years has found out. It’s time for the government to take effective action by introducing mandatory standards for patient meals.”

Hospital patient Michael Seres [9] said: “I’ve been in and out of hospital for thirty years with Crohn’s Disease which required major surgery last year. From my perspective, hospital food hasn’t got any better in this time, and remains the number one complaint amongst patients. It’s shocking to admit, but I’m not surprised that the horsemeat scandal has spread to hospitals”.

Ends

For more information and interviews, please contact:
Alex Jackson on Tel: 0203 5596 777 or Mob: 07734 902909, or by email at alex@sustainweb.org.

 

Notes to editor

[1] ‘Horsemeat sandal: Burgers withdrawn from hospitals – Burgers containing horsemeat have been supplied to hospitals in Northern Ireland’, BBC News, 15 February 2013: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-21469738

[2] Campaign for Better Hospital Food, calling for mandatory hospital food standards https://www.sustainweb.org/hospitalfood/organisations/

[3] The Campaign for Hospital Foods report ‘Twenty years of hospital food failure: Why we need mandatory standards, not more ineffective voluntary initiatives’ will be available to download from https://www.sustainweb.org/publications/info/265 from Friday 22^nd February. Embargoed advanced copies are available: please contact Alex Jackson on the above office/mobile number or by email.

[4] New 'super kitchen' at Nottingham University Hospitals costs £1.6 million, This Is Nottingham, The taste of a new era for our hospital food as Nottingham City Hospitals roll out new menus, 2013, http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/taste-new-era-hospital-food/story-17790932-detail/story.html

[5] “Measuring Up: The medical profession’s prescription for the nation’s obesity crisis”, was published by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges on Monday 18^th February and downlodable from: http://www.aomrc.org.uk/about-us/news/item/doctors-unite-to-deliver-prescription-for-uk-obesity-epidemic.html

The report recommends that:

• “Food-based standards in line with those put in place for schools in England in 2006 should be introduced in all UK hospitals in the next 18 months. Commissioners should work with a delivery agent similar to the Children’s Food Trust to put these measures into place”.
• The Academy also provides a commentary (p.22) on the Department of Health’s ‘principle’s for hospital food (see: https://www.sustainweb.org/news/oct12_better_hospital_food_response_dept_health/).

• “However, these ‘principles’ are vague and voluntary and may by themselves have little impact. We think that mandatory standards may prove necessary. We hope that the health departments in the other home nations take on the challenge, and that mandatory standards for food are introduced in hospitals across the UK”.

[6] Loyd Grossman OBE started a career in journalism with Harpers & Queen and the Sunday Times, from where he was diverted into television where as a writer, presenter or deviser he was involved in a wide range of programmes including Through the Keyhole, MasterChef, Behind the Headlines, History of British Sculpture, Loyd on Location and Build Britain. He also wrote and presented a series, Composers at Home, for Radio 3.

In 2000 he was appointed by the Department of Health to head the £40 million Better Hospital Food project. When it drew to a close in 2006, it had created 300 restaurant-style recipes for use in hospitals.

In 2009 Loyd was appointed Chairman of The Heritage Alliance.

[7] Albert Roux OBE is a French-born restaurateur and chef working in Britain. He and his brother Michel operated Le Gavroche, the first restaurant in the UK to gain three Michelin stars. He helped train a series of chefs that went on to win Michelin stars, and his son, Michel Roux, Jr. continues to run Le Gavroche.

[8] John Benson-Smith started his career as Chef at a number of restaurants, including 90 Park Lane, Grosvenor House, before becoming Head Chef, with his first appointment at Callow Hall Country House Hotel. John has also been a food writer, and been a consultant chef at a number of organisations, including Compass Group  PLC and for the London 2012 Olympic and Parlaympic Games on behalf of Spotless Food Service.

Between 200 and 2006 John was appointed as one of six chefs to support Loyd Grossman’s Hospital Food Initiative.

[9] Michael Seres, Creator of ‘Being a patient isn’t easy’ blog, http://www.beingapatient.blogspot.co.uk/.