Hospital menus are still packed with ultra-processed meat, despite evidence that it can help cause cancer.
NHS chiefs had vowed to ensure better nutrition in meals, yet researchers found sausages, bacon and corned beef being served up every day on most wards.
‘This is a massive failure and terrible for patients,’ said Dr Shireen Kassam, lead author of the study into 34 health trusts nationwide. ‘We’ve found fried breakfasts being available for lunch and for dinner too.
‘One hospital refused to take pork sausages off its menus because it claimed that it was the most popular item.
‘We don’t allow patients to smoke or drink so why should eating processed meat, a recognised carcinogen, be treated any differently? Poor diet costs the country £268 billion a year and is implicated in around a quarter of premature deaths.’
Worst-performing was Wrightington, Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals, whose meals scored only nine points out of 100 for healthiness – although a spokesman said its menus had improved since the report was compiled last year.
Researchers found sausages, bacon and corned beef being served up every day on most wards (stock image)
NHS chiefs had previously vowed to ensure better nutrition in the meals on offer
Low-scorers were Walsall Healthcare, Cardiff and Vale University (pictured) and Royal Cornwall Hospitals.
Other low-scorers were Walsall Healthcare, Cardiff and Vale University and Royal Cornwall Hospitals. King’s College Hospital, London, had the highest mark, but only 38.
The study was by the Institute for Prevention and Cancer Epidemiology in Freiburg, Germany, and the group Plant-Based Health Professionals UK and published in the Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics.
NHS England was approached for comment.
