How the United States produces and distributes food has a profound impact on ecological health, and by obvious extension, human health. As facility operations directors increasingly incorporate sustainable strategies into their day-to-day business, one area that is frequently overlooked is foodservice. Intuitively, one should consider energy- and water-reduction strategies though the use of ENERGY STAR® and water-saving equipment such as kitchen hoods, steamers and warewashers. Yet, increasingly there is also a growing awareness about the important role food procurement plays in a facility’s sustainable approach.

As places of healing, hospitals have a natural incentive to provide food that is healthy for people and the environment in which they live. The role of the healthcare community is important not only because of its moral authority, but also as a result of its substantial purchasing power, which influences both public policy and the supply chain.

Food Production-Related Illnesses Widespread
The United States is experiencing escalating rates of food-related diseases including obesity, diabetes and certain cancers. Food production and distribution are closely linked to a wide range of human and environmental health impacts. From the way food is grown, to the way it is packaged, shipped, consumed and discarded, hospital food-purchasing decisions can play an important role, both directly and indirectly, in personal and ecological health. For example, in the United States, the typical food item now travels between 1,500 to 2,400 miles from farm to plate. This energy-intensive system disconnects growers from the consumers, increases opportunities for food contamination and loss of nutrients during transportation, and plays a role in climate-change emissions. Additionally, fresh produce and other nutritional foods are still relatively inaccessible in many communities. Much more available to all Americans are highly processed food products low in nutrients.

Humans have created a system that favors the production of animal products and highly refined, calorie-dense substances over preference for healthier, physiologically compatible foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and meats originating from healthy animals. We now have a food system misaligned with the U.S. dietary guidelines. Hidden behind these nutritional imbalances is a system that is largely reliant on methods of production and distribution that negatively affects human and environmental health.

Health Community at Vanguard of Change
Fortunately, the public is witnessing a nascent movement that is beginning to address food systems from an ecological health perspective. At the forefront of this sea of change is the healthcare community. By the end of February 2008, more than 100 hospitals have signed the Healthy Food in Healthcare Pledge (www.healthyfoodinhealthcare.org). The pledge represents a commitment to support a localized, sustainable food system that acknowledges that healthy food must be defined by not only nutritional quality, but also equally by a food system that is economically viable, environmentally sustainable and supportive of human dignity and justice.

Hospitals and health systems have an opportunity to address—and even prevent—these diseases by influencing how food is grown, distributed and made accessible. Through its food-purchasing decisions, the U.S. healthcare industry can provide healthier food for patients, staff and the community, and thus promote health and healing.

Achieving Food Credits in the Green Guide for Healthcare Construction
The Green Guide for Health Care™ (www.gghc.org), initiated in 2002, spans the continuum of healthcare design, construction and operations, offering tips and tools for adding healing design and facilities operations features, energy- and water-efficiency strategies, and safer materials to the healthcare setting. This guide provides the healthcare sector with a voluntary, self-certifying metric toolkit of best practices that can be used to guide and evaluate progress towards high performance healing environments. It borrows the credit numbering scheme and credit outline structure of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED® family of products, by agreement, with some modifications.

The latest version of the GGHC Operations section has just been released and includes a new series of foodservice-related credits designed to help the healthcare community support a healthy food system. The revised Operations section heralds a new era in sustainable facility operations in healthcare. Within the comprehensive operations guidance is a foodservice section with specific credits targeted to greening healthcare foodservice. If experience from the GGHC design and construction holds, the design, planning and healthcare community will play an important role in building a healthy food system.

Jamie Harvie, P.E., is executive director of the Institute for a Sustainable Future, and he coordinates HCWH’s Healthy Food in Health Care Initiative. He is a member of the GGHC Steering Committee.

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