Latest from Food Politics: HHS issues new guidelines for food served in hospitals

Mehmet Oz’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sent a memo to hospitals last week, telling them to align their food service policies and practices with the 2025–2030 dietary guidelines (see announcement in video). Hospitals should: • ...

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By Marion Nestle April 08 2026 HHS issues new guidelines for food served in hospitals Mehmet Oz’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sent a memo to hospitals last week, telling them to align their food service policies and practices with the 2025–2030 dietary guidelines (see announcement in video). Hospitals should: • Limit ultra-processed food options for patients. • Eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages unless clinically appropriate in limited scenarios. • Eliminate refined grains and replace them with 100% whole grains. • Prioritize minimally processed protein sources, including plant-based options. • Emphasize vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, seafood, and healthy fats. • Ensure baked, broiled, roasted, stir-fried, or grilled vegetables and proteins – and eliminate deep fried cooking methods • Eliminate processed meats and foods high in added sugars, sodium, and artificial additives. • Ensure meals contain less than 10 grams of added sugar, unless clinically appropriate. These sound terrific! According to RFK Jr’s advisor, Calley Means, these guidelines will be enforced. Hospital food, of course, has been criticized heavily for decades.  A hospital director once explained to me that it was the only place in his budget that was discretionary, the only option he had for cutting spending, which he did. But as always, the situation is complicated and the devil is in the details. Kevin Klatt, a nutrition professor in Toronto, questions on his Substack whether this is “anything more than the nutrition political theatre that we’ve come to expect from this federal administration/MAHA?” He reviews the regulatory issues but also points out that clinical (hospital-based) nutrition is not the same as public health nutrition. Patients who are acutely ill and hospitalized are not the general public that the DGAs are made for…Patients who are hospitalized often have conditions that impact their nutritional requirements, alter their ability to digest, absorb, and assimilate nutrients, and major barriers to consuming a normal diet – everything from altered taste and smell to the inability to chew and swallow…It’s clear no clinical dietitians…were in the room when this memo was put out…or it was always meant as more political performance before the midterms, as RJK Jr is being encouraged to quiet down on vaccines and play to his foodie base. Yes, clinical dietitians must deal with their patients’ needs. But surely these rules ought to apply to the hospital cafeterias and vending machines that serve visitors and staff.  That alone would be a big step forward. Here too, I can’t wait to see how it all plays out. The post HHS issues new guidelines for food served in hospitals appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle      Related Posts Dietary guidelines: AHA v. MAHA Weekend reading: My latest publication: Dietary guidelines: Brazil vs. U.S. Weekend reading: Dietary Guidelines from the food industry’s perspective   Now Available: What to Eat Now My new book, What to Eat Now, is officially out! It's both a field guide to food shopping in America and a reflection on how to eat well—and deliciously. For more information and to order, click here. You can explore the full archive of this (almost) daily blog at foodpolitics.com, where you'll also find information about my books, articles, media interviews, upcoming lectures, favorite resources, and FAQs. Visit the Site » ​​​​​​​ Marion Nestle Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, Emerita © Marion Nestle. You're receiving this email because you've signed up to receive updates from us. If you'd prefer not to receive updates, you can unsubscribe. Safely Unsubscribe • Archives • Preferences • Contact • Subscribe • Privacy

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