“Grass-fed beef is lower in saturated fat and higher in Omega 3,” says Maria Simmons, director of patient food services. Organic produce benefits not only the consumer, but also the environment because chemicals that could harm field workers and the environment are not used.
Simmons says the hospital is one of only a couple in the region that provide the organic produce and grass-fed beef. “It’s on the cutting edge for hospitals in the Midwest.”
The hospital has been working with area chefs and distributors to develop the menu, Simmons says. Not all of the produce is organic, says Simmons, “We’ve converted the regular menu as far as we can right now.” She adds that she hopes to expand offerings in the future as well as deal directly with farmers.
The hospital continues to face several challenges in providing organic foods. Most produce is offered only seasonally, so the hospital meals must change throughout the year. Menus are being rewritten to be less specific about what is included with a meal and will instead say “seasonal organic vegetable.”
Keeping costs down also is a challenge. Organic foods tend to be more expensive, Simmons says, but adds the hospital buys organic only when the costs are comparable.
There has been no increase in costs to the patient because of the new offerings, she says.
Organic foods also have not yet been available for the ethnic menus, which also are unique to Swedish Covenant, which is located in one of the most ethnically diverse zip codes in the country.
The hospital offers a Korean menu as well as Hispanic and Indian Halal menus that are made entirely from scratch in the hospital kitchen. Interpreters were used to obtain helpful feedback from patients, and local ethnic chefs were consulted to prepare the menus.
Because local distributors often don’t carry ingredients for the specialized menus, Simmons must go to local ethnic markets to purchase items for the recipes. Because of her work, she is scheduled to address the topic of nutrition and diversity at a national conference in the coming months.
