Tools and resources

Hackensack University Medical Center: Better meat case study

• Hackensack University Medical Center
• Case Study
• Local and sustainable purchasing
• Food

Hackensack University Medical Center’s annual food and beverage budget is $5 million with an estimated $1.5 million spend on meat and poultry. They serve more than 2.8 million meals annually. In only 18 months, Hackensack University Medical Center now leads the country in achieving a 98 percent benchmark of meat and poultry raised without routine antibiotics. Leadership is driving change through…

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Balanced menus recipes

• Food Tool
• Food
• Food Service

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Antibiotic stewardship toolkit: Passing food purchasing resolutions

• Food
• Food and Beverage Purchasing

(Health Care Without Harm) Across the country, health professionals are developing resolutions calling for an end to the procurement of meat produced with the routine (non-therapeutic) use of medically important antibiotics, to preserve the efficacy of these drugs for human medicine. Health Care Without Harm has developed a toolkit of helpful resources for facilities. The toolkit includes a how-…

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Purchasing guide to sourcing food without genetically engineered ingredients

• Food
• Food and Beverage Purchasing
• Purchasing
• Sustainable procurement
• Sustainable food service operations
• Guide

Purchasers can take the following steps to source foods produced without the use of genetically engineered (GE) ingredients (also called “genetically modified” or “GMOs”).

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Purchaser's guide to sourcing sustainable coffee and tea

• Food
• Food and Beverage Purchasing

Coffee and tea production have become increasingly industrialized since the 1970s relying on more chemical-intensive fertilization and pest control techniques and other practices that can have many negative social, economic, and human and environmental health impacts. As organizations that purchase, serve or otherwise make coffee and tea readily available to patients, staff and visitors, health…

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Redefining protein: Purchasing considerations (Health Care Without Harm)

• Food
• Food and Beverage Purchasing
• Mitigation
• Purchasing

[Plant-Forward Future] Research reveals that certain dietary patterns have been noted to have the ideal composition for human health and reduced environmental impact. This guide offers procurement recommendations based on values of sustainability, nutrition, social, and animal welfare concerns. These considerations were generated based on findings detailed in "Redefining protein: Adjusting diets…

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Delivering community benefit: Healthy food playbook (Health Care Without Harm)

• Food
• Community Benefit and Wellness
• Toolkit

(Health Care Without Harm) Hospitals can tackle food insecurity, obesity, and chronic disease while promoting healthy, local, and sustainable food systems. The “Delivering community benefit: Healthy food playbook” inspires and supports health professionals with resources to address diet-related community health needs.

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Video: Delivering community benefit: Healthy food playbook

• Food
• Community Benefit and Wellness

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Community gardens and farms

• Food
• Community Benefit and Wellness

(Health Care Without Harm) Community gardens can take a variety of forms including rooftop gardens, schoolyard gardens, backyard gardens and neighborhood gardens.

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Farmers markets, mobile markets and community-supported agriculture

• Food
• Community Benefit and Wellness

(Health Care Without Harm) Farmers markets, mobile markets, and community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs promote access to healthy foods and can strengthen sustainable food systems by supporting local producers while improving the affordability of fresh, local produce for low-income communities. 

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