U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is asking hospitals to adopt his revised meal pyramid to redesign meal menus served to patients, U.S. regulators announced Monday. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a memo to hospitals calling for restrictions on ultra-processed food options for patients, although there is currently no formal definition of exactly what foods are covered by this concept.
In contrast, the agency wants hospitals to gradually switch to serving whole grain foods, eliminate sugary drinks and ensure meals contain less than 10 grams of added sugar.
Example menu substitutions in the memo include: oatmeal with berries instead of breakfast cereal, plain yogurt instead of sweetened flavored yogurt, and freshly prepared lean protein instead of deli meats. The memo also recommends providing alternatives such as no-added-sugar juice or low-sugar jelly to patients recovering from surgery.
The new dietary guidelines released by the Trump administration in January this year emphasize that you should consume more fruits, vegetables, healthy fats and proteins, and reduce added sugars. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, updated every five years, provide guidance for the federal government in purchasing meals for military personnel, school children, and prison inmates. Although the government does not purchase hospital meals directly, federal medical programs are still an important source of revenue for hospitals.