New CMS pledge challenges all hospitals to serve healthier food

CMS is asking hospitals to cut ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks, processed meats and deep-fried foods from inpatient meals

The federal government is asking hospitals across the country to rethink what they put on patients’ trays—and to publicly pledge that food will become a more central part of healing and recovery.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services launched the voluntary “Make Hospital Food Healthier Pledge” on July 8. Hospitals that sign agree to review and update inpatient menus using the federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans for 2025–2030.

The initiative asks hospitals to move away from highly processed foods and toward meals made with whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, seafood, healthy fats and minimally processed proteins.

Hospitals taking the pledge agree, when clinically appropriate and feasible, to:

• Limit ultra-processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages
• Limit added sugar, sodium and artificial additives
• Reduce processed meats
• Emphasize whole grains instead of refined grains
• Offer minimally processed proteins, including plant-based choices
• Serve more vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds and seafood
• Bake, broil, roast, stir-fry or grill foods rather than deep-fry them

The pledge also calls on hospitals to make nutrition education part of discharge planning so patients can continue healthier eating practices after returning home.

“Patients recovering from serious medical conditions deserve better than ultra-processed and deep-fried junk foods,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in announcing the program. CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said hospitals should approach nourishing patients with the same commitment they bring to other aspects of medical care.

A pledge—but also existing hospital obligations

Signing the new pledge is voluntary. However, the initiative follows a March 30 CMS alert reminding hospitals that their obligations to meet patients’ individual nutritional needs are already part of the Medicare Conditions of Participation.

Hospitals participating in Medicare must ensure that diets meet individual patient needs, operate under qualified dietitian oversight, maintain current therapeutic-diet guidance and include dietary services in their quality-assessment processes.

CMS is now encouraging hospitals to review their menus, therapeutic diets and food-purchasing practices in light of the updated federal dietary guidelines.

In that memo, CMS recommended that hospitals evaluate whether their current menus:

• Eliminate routine sugar-sweetened beverages
• Replace refined grains with 100 percent whole grains
• Eliminate deep-fried cooking methods
• Reduce processed meats and artificial additives
• Keep meals below 10 grams of added sugar unless a patient’s clinical needs require otherwise

CMS also offered examples of the types of meals it wants hospitals to consider:

• steel-cut oats with berries and nuts rather than sugary refined cereal;
• plain yogurt with fresh fruit;
• grilled salmon with quinoa and roasted vegetables;
• lentil or bean-based entrées; and
• freshly prepared lean proteins in place of processed deli meats.

For beverages, the agency recommends water, unsweetened tea, milk or coffee rather than routinely offering sugary drinks or juice. Even clear-liquid diets used after surgery should be reviewed for lower-sugar alternatives, according to CMS.

Federal officials argue that hospitalization should be an opportunity not only to treat illness but also to demonstrate healthy eating practices that patients can carry home. CMS says aligning hospital meals with current dietary guidance may support recovery, reduce longer-term health risks and reinforce nutrition counseling provided at discharge.

What about Rhode Island?

The CMS pledge page includes an online form for hospitals wishing to participate, but it does not currently display a public list of hospitals or health systems that have signed.

RINewsToday is contacting Rhode Island hospitals and health systems to ask whether they have signed—or intend to sign—the “Make Hospital Food Healthier” pledge. We will publish the responses we receive.

This is a developing story which will be updated.