Tampa General Hospital is first to sign Kennedy’s healthy food pledge
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A hospital in Florida has become the first in the nation to sign the “Making Hospital Food Healthier” pledge, committing to serving patients more nutritious, minimally processed meals.
Tampa General Hospital CEO John Couris signed the pledge Thursday at a press conference attended by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins, and celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian.
The 1,000-bed medical facility partnered with Zakarian last year to overhaul its menu around the “food is medicine” concept.
FAMOUS CHEF SAYS TO MCDONALD’S IF YOU HAVE A CAR, YOU CAN COOK HEALTHY MEALS AT HOME
The revamped menu includes items that are high in nutrition and “may help prevent, manage and treat disease,” the hospital said in a 2025 news release announcing the partnership.
“If you go to your friend’s house and say, ‘This tastes like hospital food,’ that’s not a compliment,” Kennedy said at the press conference. he said.
The “Making Hospital Food Healthier” pledge commits hospitals to limit processed foods and added sugars. (iStock)
Stating that hospitals are places where people go to be healthy, Kennedy said, “We were giving them things that would aggravate and increase their chronic diseases.”
Couris stated that they worked on a limited number of menu items with Zakarian and said, “We doubled the food quality.” “And we saw around a 5% to 7% increase in our sales. [food purchasing expenses]. “This is something we can absorb.”
CLICK FOR MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS
Following the menu changes, hospital officials reported a 53% increase in perceived food quality and more patients finishing their meals. Fox 13 Tampa Bay reported.
According to Fox 13 Tampa Bay, during the visit, Kennedy and Rollins tried the menu consisting of soup, appetizer salad and steak prepared by the hospital’s culinary team.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins join Tampa General Hospital’s John Couris and celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian to taste test the dish. (Tampa General Hospital)
HHS and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services launched the “Make Hospital Meals Healthier” pledge earlier this month as part of a broader effort to encourage hospitals to serve healthier meals with fewer processed ingredients and added sugar.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
In announcing the initiative, Kennedy said patients recovering from serious medical conditions “deserve better than overly processed and deep-fried junk food.”
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sent a notice to hospitals in March informing them that Americans must comply with the new Dietary Guidelines to continue receiving Medicaid and Medicare payments.
Kennedy said Tampa General Hospital can serve as a template for other hospitals in offering healthy food to patients. (Tampa General Hospital)
Kennedy cited Tampa General Hospital, which gets about 25% of its food from local farmers, as a model for other hospitals.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
“We have a template at Tampa General,” Kennedy said. “We can say that if they did it, you can too.”
