5 things: Study finds home-delivered meals reduce re-hospitalization and mortality

In this edition of 5 Things, Food Management highlights five things you may have missed recently about developments affecting onsite dining.

Here’s your list for today:

 1.    Study finds home-delivered meals reduce re-hospitalization and mortality

A recent cohort study has concluded that receiving home-delivered meals post-hospitalization was associated with lower 30-day re-hospitalization and mortality. “While this home-delivered meals benefit was intended to be a short-term bridge for patients during a vulnerable period after discharge from the hospital,” the study authors wrote, “it was encouraging to see this association persisting into the 60-day period.” They noted that additional prospective clinical studies should be conducted to confirm these findings and better understand the mechanisms that can support post-hospitalization nutritional support.

Read more: Meals as Medicine: How Home-Delivered Meals Reduce Hospital Readmission and Death

 2.    Iowa State raises its own turkeys for its dining program

The Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University has partnered with ISU Dining and West Liberty Foods to utilize some of the turkey produced at Iowa State in campus dining centers. The first flock of turkeys raised at the Stanley L. Balloun Turkey Teaching and Research Facility was recently sent to West Liberty Foods in West Liberty for processing and this fall, students, faculty and staff will get to enjoy the resulting oven roasted turkey breast at ISU Dining locations.

Related:5 things: Former NYC Schools official found guilty in scheme that led to tainted meat being served to students

Read more: A delicious partnership: Serving Iowa State-raised turkey at campus dining locations

 3.    Better-for-planet meatless message more effective than better-for-you, hospital finds

Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital in Boston started trying about 20 years ago to cut back on the amount of meat it served in its cafeteria for health reasons but "Meatless Mondays" generated a lot of complaints—and don't even ask about the time they cut fries and chicken nuggets from the menu. But now, hospital leaders say they've noticed a shift since they began framing their efforts around climate change as patients and employees who wouldn’t adjust their diet to improve their own health are doing it for the greater good.

Read more: Don’t call it vegan: What hospitals are learning about nudging people to eat greener

 4.    Office lunch not a thing in Australia, survey finds

Maybe it’s different here in the U.S., but in Australia, 77% of office workers say they skip or work through their lunch break during the average work week with only 23% saying they take their full lunch breaks, according to a recent survey. Reasons cited include heavy workloads (42%), time constraints (29%) and cost (23%) and the trend also extends to remote workers, of whom 31% say they skip their lunch breaks. 

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Read more: Research: 77% of Aussie Office Workers Skip Lunch, Affecting Wellbeing

 5.    Yellowstone re-ups with Delaware North  

Yellowstone National Park has announced the selection of Delaware North/DNC Parks and Resorts at Yellowstone, LLC as the concessioner for the new contract to provide retail and food and beverage services in the park, effective for 15 years from Jan. 1, 2024, to Dec. 31, 2038. Delaware North is the incumbent operator and has provided retail and food and beverage services in Yellowstone since 2003, YNP says.

Read more: Yellowstone announces park concessioner to operate general stores

Bonus: School meal participation drops after large school districts lose free meals for all

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]