Healthier and more sustainable food in healthcare and hospitality leads to greater satisfaction

Many people want to eat in a healthier and more sustainable way. In practice, however, this is not always easy – especially for those living in a care institution or relying on hospitality venues for a (hot) meal. For this reason, a wide range of organisations worked with researchers from Greendish, Louis Bolk Institute, NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences, Breda University of Applied Sciences and Wageningen University & Research to develop the PPP Implementation of Nutrition Interventions in Residential Care Institutions and Hospitality. Together, they sought an answer to the question: “What helps make the healthier and more sustainable choice available in healthcare and hospitality?”

Within the PPP, 11 very different closed settings (including residential care institutions, hospitality venues, childcare centres and schools) developed and tested various interventions to offer healthier food. Researchers worked with the PPP partners to exchange ideas and organise inspiring workshops. They examined the effects on the food choices of guests, clients or children, as well as the opportunities for food providers to carry out the interventions. The research showed that when providers themselves are positive about the changes, this has a greater impact on the actual implementation.

The study revealed that consumers value the availability of healthy and sustainable food. “We measured higher satisfaction among patients, guests, clients and residents of institutions when healthy and sustainable food and drink were offered. It was genuinely appreciated. This marks a first step towards changing consumer behaviour. But for a different consumption pattern to take hold, it is crucial that the alternative is easy to find.

“Higher client satisfaction is also important because care staff and hospitality employees derive great fulfilment from pleasing the people they serve: ‘seeing our guests leave happy every day’, and ‘when people enjoy what I’ve made’. This in turn motivates staff. Finally, satisfied clients are of course vital for the continuity of the business, which stands or falls with customer satisfaction,” says Meeusen.

For food providers, change depends on willingness, knowledge and capability. Meeusen: “We saw that during the study, motivation to do more with healthy and sustainable food increased. Staff consider it important that healthy and sustainable food is offered, and the interventions reinforced that view. Many now find it even more important than before. The study also encouraged many of them to want to do more in this area.”

Researchers also found that training and education increase staff knowledge about healthy and sustainable food, which helps to achieve lasting change. “This is necessary, because in some cases we saw that staff really had insufficient knowledge. Healthy and sustainable food are often defined too narrowly. Healthy eating is (rightly) linked to eating lots of fruit and vegetables and less sugar – but it is more than that. The same applies to sustainable eating: many staff think (correctly) of the environment and reducing food waste, but again, the concept is broader.”

Beyond knowledge, there is the step into practice: what does a healthy and sustainable food offering actually look like? Practical guidelines are needed for all staff – from chefs to waiters and food assistants. Here again, sustainability is particularly hard to translate into practical guidelines. Providing starter kits with materials, flyers with tips, and developing a concrete implementation plan together (what the intervention will look like in practice) proved very helpful in the case studies.

However, the researchers note that healthy and sustainable food has not yet been fully embedded throughout all levels of the organisations. And such integration is essential for truly lasting change.

Based on this research, the following recommendations were formulated for the successful implementation of healthy and sustainable food policies in healthcare institutions and hospitality:

Start working with healthy and sustainable food

• Assume that healthy and sustainable food leads to greater client appreciation
• Use interventions that make it easier for clients to eat healthily and sustainably
• Collaborate, support, inspire and strengthen one another

Increase motivation among food providers

• Encourage enthusiasts to take the lead
• Allow chefs/staff to come up with their own recipes and ideas
• Ensure staff gain their own positive experiences
• Actively support and communicate from management

Expand knowledge of healthy and sustainable food

• Organise inspiring and stimulating training to build confidence and knowledge
• Translate healthy and sustainable food into practical staff guidelines

Enable staff to offer healthy and sustainable food

• Create opportunities!
• Investigate whether healthy and sustainable food really requires more capacity – practice shows this is often not the case
• Explore labour-saving solutions such as pre-cut and pre-prepared vegetables 

^{Contributing partners: Accor, Albron, Atlantis Handelshuis, Azora, Bidfood, Bonduelle, CELTH, De Zorgzaak, Drukkerij Lijnco, Dutch Cuisine, Eetgemak, Municipality of Meppel, Municipality of Rotterdam, Municipality of Steenwijkerland, Municipality of Westerveld, GGZ Noord-Holland-Noord, Greenco, JOGG, Jong Leren Eten, childcare organisations, KLM, Koppert Cress, Landal, NFO, Ondernemerspunt, Pennemes and Mennistenerf, PGVZ, Van Gelder, Van Kekem Fruit and several healthcare institutions.} 

• Healthy Food in Healthcare & Hospitality: Towards Healthier Eating in Closed Settings – Research into Interventions Supporting Residents in Care, Guests in Out-of-Home Settings and Children to Eat More Healthily