Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

16 PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE NYU Langone shakes up its recipe for hospital meals By Kelly Gooch N ew York City-based NYU Langone Health has undergone a culinary overhaul with a clear goal: to prove hospital food can be both healthy and delicious. e initiative began in 2014, when health system leaders took a critical look at the quality of food being served and its role in the broader patient experience. "We're a health and wellness organization, and we focus on excellence across the board in everything we do," Vicki Match Suna, AIA, vice dean and executive vice president for real estate development and facilities, told Becker's. "So it was logical to extend that into our food, which clearly wasn't at that level." Determined to elevate food and nutrition systemwide, NYU Langone began reimagining how meals were sourced, prepared and served — starting with a focus on ingredients and recipes. "We reprioritized who was leading our team, bringing in staff with experience in cooking — even if they hadn't worked in healthcare," said Dan Dilworth, the system's senior director of food and nutrition services. "Historically, hospitals have hired from within the industry, but we started looking outside to attract talent. We've built on that over many years." Mr. Dilworth and his team of former restaurant chefs prioritized scratch cooking and the use of high-quality ingredients. ey eliminated deep fryers across facilities and focused on sustainable sourcing. Some comfort foods remain, including chicken nuggets (never fried) for pediatric patients. A major milestone came in 2024, when NYU Langone brought food operations fully in house. e health system now serves more than 9,000 meals daily across its hospitals. "For a while, we had a management company supporting food service operations at some of our campuses — but not all," Mr. Dilworth said. "We made the decision to bring everything in house. at gave us full control over the products we use. We already controlled staffing, but this allowed us to align operations across the system." e shi came to elevate food quality systemwide and align it with NYU Langone's broader standards of excellence. at focus highlights an oen-overlooked aspect of patient care. A 2025 study published in e Lancet Planetary Health, for example, found that meals in German hospitals and nursing homes scored as low as 39 out of 100 on the Healthy Eating Index. At NYU Langone, health system leaders said its kitchen now sources antibiotic-free poultry from farms in the region, uses fresh herbs instead of sodium-heavy seasonings, and builds menus to physician specifications. Physicians can order diets such as regular, heart healthy, low sodium, and consistent carbohydrate to support specific patient needs. All campuses serve the same patient menu with the same recipes, products and from-scratch cooking. ere are also culturally specific options such as kosher and halal, and hosts — who deliver food to patients — are educated about what a specific diet means and how the diet supports the patient's recovery. While it is essential that meals meet complex medical requirements, the system is equally focused on making food flavorful and appealing. Mr. Dilworth said clinical dietitians work closely with chefs to create tasty meals that meet patients' dietary requirements. "It's not just about cutting salt from a recipe — that doesn't add flavor," he said. "Instead, we reverse engineer meals to meet dietary needs from the start, rather than modifying an existing recipe into something less delicious." For example, mashed potatoes usually include cream and butter. At the health system, patients may order mashed potatoes, but they are made using nonfat Greek yogurt, sour cream and other substitutions. NYU Langone has also prioritized hospitality. "We've been building out programs that focus on the guest experience and training staff on how to create positive interactions with patients — not just focusing on the food itself," Mr. Dilworth added. Patients may order food through MyWall — an integrated, bedside digital system — tailored to their specific needs. e system adjusts food options accordingly that are suitable for their diet. Patients are also educated on NYU Langone's initiative and goals. "We invested early on in sourcing great products — fresh produce, fresh seafood — and created new recipes," Mr. Dilworth said. "But we realized if you don't tell people what you're doing, their preconceived notions can override reality. "Many hospitals use cook-chill systems, where food is made offsite, chilled, then reheated near the patient's room. We've invested heavily in making food fresh on site and delivering it promptly to the bedside. But if patients aren't aware of that, they might not appreciate the difference." Educating patients about how food can be delicious and healthy is also why NYU Langone developed "Cooking for Wellness," a cooking show focused on healthy recipes that was developed with clinicians. Some patients have even asked for the recipes to take home. Moving forward, NYU Langone leaders pointed to projects underway at its Brooklyn and Mineola campuses, and another in Suffolk, which includes a new kitchen and cafeteria. e health system is also upgrading the kitchen at Tisch Hospital in Manhattan to increase capacity and deliver food to patients faster and fresher, Mr. Dilworth said. "We're continuing to invest in the patient experience — through hospitality training and reinventing what it feels like to walk into a hospital café," he said. "We don't want it to feel like a typical hospital cafeteria. We aim to be the best food and beverage department, period — not just the best in healthcare." n

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