MORE plant-based Food
Case for change
The healthcare industry faces a complex challenge, a combination of long waiting lists, increased complexity and demand for healthcare interventions. This is amplified by a challenging financial landscape, constrained public finances but also funding pressures from private insurers.
Poor nutrition is a significant cause of multiple medical conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, which results in the need for life-long interventions from the healthcare sector. Consequently, much of healthcare funding is spent on reactive, curative care rather than a significantly more cost-effective preventative care model.
Adopting plant-based food as the norm across the healthcare sector; NHS and independent sector, presents several key benefits. A menu that is high in nutritional content and low in saturated fat and salts is an effective aid to patient recovery. Reducing consumption of red and processed meat can reduce the prevalence of disease including numerous cancers, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type-two diabetes. We want to support the healthcare sector to offer nutritious food to people in their care.
Beyond the immediate health benefits, the adoption of plant-based food provision has the potential to reduce food waste, the cost of waste disposal and also the current cost of food provision, whilst also reducing carbon emissions.
The NHS has a target to achieve an 80% reduction in scope 1 & 2 emissions between 2028-2032 and scope 3 by 2036-2039 [i]. The independent sector will have comparable targets, not least given the integral part organisations play in providing essential healthcare capacity to support NHS services. Adopting a plant-based model by default for food provision is a highly cost-effective option to contribute to achieving this target.
The detail
The food industry contributes 35% of global greenhouse gases (GHG), 57% of which results from animal-based food provision[ii]
Ruminant animals (beef & lamb) contribute significantly greater CO2e per kg of food production and per 100 grams of protein versus chicken (x10 and x8 respectively) or beans (both x50).[iii]
We aim to reduce scope 3 carbon emissions of hospitals, but also the scope 1 & 2 emissions of their supply chain. We can achieve this whilst also improving patient and staff health and well-being and contribute to the preventative care model set out in the NHS Long Term plan.
WHY we are doing this?
Food is a crucial component of personal health and lifestyle for each and every one of us. The choices that we individually and collectively make can have a far reaching impact on climate change.
We believe that reducing demand for red and highly processed meat can deliver three key benefits; improved health for staff and patients, cost efficiencies in a financially challenged environment, and of course reducing global emissions associated through the transformation of the food value chain.
How we do this?
We are working with NHS and independent sector hospitals to adopt a plant-based by default food provision for patients and staff. Our work brings together the many disciplines that have responsibility for food provision including dieticians, catering, nurses and doctors, but also procurement and finance.
This does not remove meat options from menus, but promotes nutritious, delicious, affordable, low-carbon alternatives to support personal health and well-being.
We are actively engaged with key supply chain actors to contribute to a replicable value proposition that will include case studies from exemplar sites within and outside of the healthcare industry.
THE IMPACT
The NHS alone is responsible for 24.9 MtCO₂e annually; 1.5 MtCO₂e (6%) of this relates to food [ix].
The NHS is required to deliver against a plan to hit 80% emission reduction of scope 1 & 2 by 2028-32 and scope 3 2036-39 [x] In 2022/23 the NHS delivered carbon savings of 17.3 tCO₂e from energy efficiency schemes, spending £128.5m in the process.[xi]
This programme can deliver upon this commitment to reduce carbon emissions whilst also preventing ill-health and potentially saving money for organisations and creating wider economic benefit.
[i] B1728-delivering-a-net-zero-nhs-july-2022.pdf (england.nhs.uk)
[ii] Global greenhouse gas emissions from animal-based foods are twice those of plant-based foods | Nature Food
[iii] The carbon footprint of foods: are differences explained by the impacts of methane? - Our World in Data
[iv] Red and processed meat linked to increased risk of heart disease, Oxford study shows | University of Oxford
[v] Red alert: processed and red meat | Diabetes UK
[vi] Health matters: preventing cardiovascular disease - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
[vii] NHS England » NHS Prevention Programme cuts chances of Type 2 diabetes for thousands
[viii] 2-Billion-NHS-Windfall-CAWF.pdf (conservativeanimalwelfarefoundation.org)
[ix] delivering-a-net-zero-national-health-service.pdf (england.nhs.uk)
[x] delivering-a-net-zero-national-health-service.pdf (england.nhs.uk)
[xi] Estates Returns Information Collection - NHS England Digital
Consumption of red and highly processed meats are known to contribute to numerous cancers, cardiovascular disease (CVD) [iv] and type 2 diabetes [v]. The NHS alone spends £17bn/Yr treating CVD [vi] and diabetes [vii], red and processed meats remain available to patients and staff in hospitals as a default option.
A reduction in consumption can have a material impact on the prevalence of chronic disease and consequently the complexity and frequency of care that individuals require through their lifetime.
Illustratively a 20% reduction in meat consumption would result in c.5% reduction in diabetes and 2% in CVD [viii]. This could result in lower like-for-like demand on the healthcare system and consequently waiting lists.
Adopting a plant-based by default provision of food in NHS and independent hospitals can improve nutritional education, health & well-being, patient outcomes, reduce the cost of provision and waste disposal, and importantly scope 3 emissions.