State of Healthcare 2024: Despite challenges, healthcare operations embrace sustainable dining

For the dining team at Eskenazi Health in Indiana, sustainability takes form in many ways. The team takes a holistic approach to sustainable dining with initiatives in different avenues such as reducing both food and packaging and serving local foods. However, it seems that increasing plant-based offerings is also taking center stage in healthcare dining.

From Dugan Wetzel's standpoint as director of culinary and executive chef at Eskenazi Health, Wetzel he's found that plant-based fare is the biggest trend in healthcare dining, according to his response to FoodService Director’s 2024 State of Healthcare survey. Wetzel is not alone in that belief. About 20% of respondents to the 2024 survey indicated that plant-based cuisine is the biggest trend in the industry right now. It also appears that sustainability in general continues to gain prominence. About 20% of respondents chose sustainability as the biggest trend. And it’s a trend that Wetzel believes isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.

“I think it is going to play a huge role in the industry as we move forward. As people become more educated and aware of what is happening to our environment, the more likely they are to make better choices in regard to the products they are purchasing and consuming on a regular basis,” he said. “You can already see the trend shifting towards sustainability in our industry with the increase in recyclable and compostable items being developed for use.”

Sustainability clearly played a large role in healthcare dining in 2024, and foodservice operations continue to launch new initiatives in an effort to lessen the environmental impact of their operation. Reducing food waste, increasing plant-based and local meals and engaging diners about the importance of sustainability are some of the highlights of such initiatives. Here’s a deep dive into the current state of sustainability in the healthcare dining industry, from challenges to successes, take a look at how some operations have been making strides in their goals.

Plant-based makes a splash in healthcare

While plant-forward food is more environmentally friendly than meat-based meals, due to the carbon emissions associated with each food, eating plant-based also has health benefits, making healthcare operations a great avenue to serve that fare.

“I have seen a big push by multiple agencies like the American Medical Association to try and encourage organizations to incorporate plant-based menus due to the proven benefits it has shown in reducing certain chronic diseases as well as helping with weight management, hypertension and other issues that affect patients,” said Wetzel. “I have seen quite a few hospitals incorporate, at least in some capacity, plant-based menu items on their menus.”

Some operations have even gone as far as making plant-based the default on their menus. In 2024, NYC Health System celebrated the results of its gradual switch to serving plant-based as default. Last year was the first full calendar year of its plant-based program, and the health system served 783,000 plant-based meals and saw a 36% reduction in carbon emissions. In addition, they saw cost savings of 59 cents per meal.

However, there can be some challenges with getting some diners on board with a more plant-based diet, said Wetzel. The biggest help with that challenge, he said, is to engage with diners, especially through taste-testing events.

“Certain things that we have prepared on our menus have been better received than others when it comes to plant-based items. If we do the legwork of sampling products or bringing attention to them, they are usually pretty well received by the majority of the patients, guests, and employees,” said Wetzel. “There are always a few groups that are set in their ways when it comes to the foods they eat, but the more people we can get to at least try it, the better our chances of success are with transforming the way people look at our menus.”

The team has also hosted product demos for plant-based offerings and continues to gather feedback from employees through surveys.

“If the employees feel like they were a part of the process, they are more likely to see the change as favorable,” said Wetzel.

Using technology for waste management

Another area of focus at Eskenazi Health is reducing waste. Reducing waste also appears to be a vital aspect of many foodservice operations sustainability strategies. About 63% of respondents to the 2024 State of Healthcare survey, indicated that reducing food waste was an area of focus for their operation. In addition, about 31% said that eliminating single use plastics is an area of focus.

The team at Eskenazi Health leverages technology to aid in its fight against waste. The operation has a partnership with a local waste management company that assists the team in recycling.

“We get a lot of deliveries each day to our main campus location, and with that comes a lot of packaging waste. With specifically designated recycling receptacles and cardboard dumpsters we are able to ensure that things are being disposed of properly rather than just going to a landfill,” said Wetzel.

And Eskenazi Health has teamed up with Leanpath, a food waste management company that assists in tracking wasted food. By using that program, the team reduced its food waste by 40% compared to the previous year, which equates to $70,000 in savings or roughly 15,000 lbs. of food saved from the landfill.

“They [Leanpath] are heavily focused on the reduction of food waste through tracking what we are currently using, and then coming up with a plan to reduce what is prepared. They do a fantastic job, and they have really helped us reduce the amount of food we are purchasing and preparing in our operations,” said Wetzel. “Also, with the help of the Leanpath system, we were able to reduce the portion size of some of our meals because we saw that some of the items were having a portion of the meal continuously being discarded because the portions were too big.”

Healthcare operations invest in local meals

Serving meals with local ingredients is another way healthcare operations have been focusing on sustainability lately. At Eskenazi Health, one dining option is a full-service restaurant that highlights locally sourced meals, whenever possible.

“Working with the local vendors and farmers really helps us shorten the supply chain and reduce our footprint,” said Wetzel.

And locally sourced meals have been popping up more and more on healthcare menus lately. The dining team at GreenFields of Geneva, a senior living community in Illinois, recently served up a harvest salad, using ingredients sourced locally. This isn’t the first time the team has dabbled with local meals however, diners can typically find dishes prepared with local ingredients on the menu at any time.

Some healthcare operations are taking local ingredients a step further, with the use of hydroponic micro-farms. Earlier this year, Mayo Clinic launched a hydroponic micro-farm on site at the Mayo Clinic’s Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center Café in Rochester, Minnesota. Since its launch, the micro-farm has produced about 100 pounds of fresh vegetables, including lettuces, microgreens and herbs.

Navigating costs

While sustainable dining continues to grow and healthcare operations launch new and innovative ways to address the environmental impacts of the food they serve, the industry is still working its way through some challenges. One major challenge, according to Wetzel, is the price tag associated with sustainable products.

“The costs associated with some of the products and initiatives mentioned earlier are a serious challenge. Shifting focus to more sustainable or organic plant-based menuing doesn't necessarily mean that food is cheaper, unfortunately,” he said.

Many sustainability initiatives involve a buy-in cost. For instance, if an operation is looking to eliminate single use plastics and switch to reusable takeout containers, there is going to be the initial cost of purchasing the containers and there’s always the chance that the initiative is not successful and the operation is unable to make that money back. In addition, when adding plant-based fare to the menu, if diners don’t like the product, the food will ultimately go to waste, and the operation can lose money.

“Being from the Midwest, we have a culture that is heavily influenced on the traditional food idea of 'meat and potatoes' for every meal. So not having meat options on a menu can sometimes bring frustration or lack of traffic in some of our retail areas,” said Wetzel.

To help with this challenge, Wetzel said the team has worked hard to engage with diners and try out products.

Moving forward, Wetzel said sustainability will continue to play a big role at his operation. His team plans to continue to work on improving the quality and quantity of plant-based offerings

“And I believe that if we continue with how we are operating currently, that will happen,” he said.