Nourish Hosts Lunch to Change the Future of Health Care Food
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Vancouver (September 12, 2024) – On September 10, Nourish joined forces with nearly three hundred of Canada’s top chefs and a doctor dedicated to planetary health at North Arm Farm in Pemberton, BC, for the 2024 COOKSCAMP. COOKSCAMP, is an industry-only event designed by chefs for chefs to foster knowledge, camaraderie, and sustainability of their profession. This year’s event highlights the theme of planetary health, where culinary experts will explore the concept of food as medicine, emphasizing the vital connection between human and environmental well-being. Nourish aims to inspire more chefs to engage with our mission, demonstrating how thoughtful menu choices can help play a powerful role in building healthier communities.
“Chefs have a powerful voice and a crucial role in highlighting the untapped potential of food as medicine—a key tool in advancing health equity, sustainability, and community wellness,” said Lana Brandt, Nourish strategic communications and engagement manager. “Chef Ned Bell has demonstrated that hospital food can be both delicious and healing by creating plant-forward meals using fresh, local, and nutrient-dense ingredients, as seen in the recent planetary health menu project at Vancouver Coastal Health,” she added.
The planetary health menu project resulted in more than 20 new menu items to offer patients more diversity in choices as well a reduction in food-related emissions by an expected 15 to 20 per cent. “When it comes to healing, food only matters if it's eaten. It’s essential for health care sites to provide meals that patients want to eat, meeting their needs for comfort and nourishment. By applying a planetary health lens, we have found opportunities to innovate and enhance our menu offerings while lessening our impact on our environment” said Dr. Annie Lalande, a surgery resident and project lead at Vancouver General Hospital.
“Creating nutritious and appetizing meals that patients enjoy not only aids in their recovery, but it also prevents unnecessary food waste in a sector where half of the prepared food is thrown out,” said Chef Ned Bell. “Real food heals, and by carefully selecting local ingredients and infusing recipes with global flavours, we’ve made great strides to transform hospital meals to be better for patient and planetary health,” Bell continued.
Canada’s health care system has a four-billion-dollar opportunity to leverage its purchasing power to support sustainable local food systems, delivering delicious and nutritious meals to patients. This approach not only reduces the many environmental impacts related to food, but also enhances the well-being of communities from coast-to-coast-to-coast. Explore how planetary health menus are making a difference in Canadian health care by visiting Nourish.
About Nourish: Food is much more than sustenance. It’s culture and connection. It’s medicine. And it’s a powerful way of showing we care. That’s why Nourish believes food should be at the heart of health care. We’re on a mission to change the way food is served in health care settings — not just for the well-being of patients, but for the dedicated people caring for them; for growers and food producers; for our communities; and for the planet we all share.
Join us as we nourish change in health care.