Show us your food!

This month, HCWH Europe celebrates World Food Month. We think that one day (World Food Day, on 16th October), is not enough to raise awareness about how unsustainable our food system is in Europe and globally.

The impacts of our food system on the environment, our health, the economy, and society are well known. We also know how to reduce these impacts: by changing our dietary habits and taking important decisions, e.g. buying fresh, local, seasonal, and organic food, diversifying our diet (i.e. eating more vegetables and pulses and less meat), or reducing food waste.

We call on governments to set a common food policy - including common standards for public food services, such as hospital food services.

We hear stories about how hospitals serve poor quality food - this is in most cases due to a lack of monitoring and funding. However, we also hear stories about healthy and sustainable food served to patients, staff, and visitors in many hospitals in Europe that are making great efforts in this sense.

#ShowUsYourFood

We call upon, hospitals, health centres, caterers, staff, and patients to send us photos, stories, and videos about the food that is served in their healthcare institution(s), so that we can share their achievements.

The good, the bad, and the ugly – we want to see what food in your healthcare institution looks like! Please, join us to promote healthy and sustainable food in European healthcare and engage other hospitals to follow suit!

Send us your stories, or use the #ShowUsYourFood hashtag on Twitter and Facebook.

 

- Paola Hernández, Sustainable and Healthy Food Programme Assistant

 

Preview image: Miia Sample via Flickr cc