HOPE FOR HOSPITAL FOOD?

Food served to hospital patients ought to be safe and nutritious and compatible with medical diets, including gluten-free diets. That isn't always the case, to say the least—but now there's a high-profile advocate for better hospital food: Prince Charles!

Here is a portion of "See food as a medicine, says Prince," a February 5, 2008 article from The Press Association.

The Prince of Wales has urged hospital trust bosses to see food as a "medicine" in itself as he highlighted the importance of nutritional meals being served to patients.

Charles made the comments at the Royal Brompton Hospital where around 20 chief executives and senior managers had gathered to hear about the institution's pioneering catering initiative.

The Royal Brompton in Chelsea, West London serves its patients freshly made meals created from produce 20% of which is either sourced locally or is organic.

It also offers a range of foods which are free from additives, gluten, dairy or genetically modified produce and low in fat.

The Prince said to the hospital chief executives: "We need to see food as a medicine in itself."

He also told them: "At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious people largely go to hospital to get well and obviously the food we eat does make a difference to our general health even when we are not ill.

"So it does seem even more crucial the food hospital patients are given helps rather than risks hindering the process of recovery."

Hear, hear!



Source (00:37)