Healthcare Operations Require Better Food Options – But at What Cost?

The days of “hospital food” being tasteless, bland food that was just meant to get you by at your stay in the hospital or medical facility are over. Healthcare culinarians are tired of Jell-O, plain rice, and various mystery meats. Hospital food doesn’t need to follow the old bland trend, and there are many other healthcare services and facilities that desire a better tasting meal while still being able to produce the output of food necessary at that location. Healthy and allergen-free options must be available as well to take patient and resident dietary needs into account. To keep all of this moving, it seems like a daunting task for operators. There are some ways, however, to continue to maintain food production speed and keep costs down while keeping the quality up.

Nursing Homes and Long-Term Healthcare

Nursing homes and assisted living facilities are the perfect example of places that need improvement to their food service and food options. The elderly people who live in these facilities full time need good tasting and nutritious food. It is not reasonable for them to expect bland tasting food at their home. Older consumers also generally tend to be more focused on their nutrition because their health is of upmost importance to them as they age. A great way to add in a variety of flavor they are looking for is with the Vegalene line of seasoning sprays. They are a great way to add garlic, olive oil, or butter flavor without adding a significant change to the nutritional content of the dish. Making high quality choices and a high-class dining experience can make this time in these institutions feel less medicinal and more like home.

Hospitals

Hospitals, however, have different needs as food service is a small piece in a much bigger operation. Still, factors such as a general uptick in health conscious consumers have put food service on the top of the list for improvements. Factors in the current scope of hospital settings such as patient satisfaction scores and readmission rates are now much more important to vital reimbursements and in generating hospital revenue. Food service operators are pressured to meet higher nutritional standards which will help to keep patients heathier and reduce the possibility for readmission. In addition, offering great tasting food that leave patients and guests with a more positive overall experience is now a requirement.

With the increasing consumer demand for more nutritious dining options in all settings, shifts in the economy have put pressure on all types of healthcare facilities. Rising budget cuts and food costs continue to affect bottom lines. Operators and directors need to find additional sources of revenue and to increase their retail operations to balance cuts while still keeping their food affordable. More and more, they require partners who can help them meet the demands for better, healthier, and tastier dining options.

For foodservice operators in the healthcare industry, making small changes to your operation can be a way to begin with these improvements. Decreasing time spent on certain efforts such as cleaning dishes can leave you more time to focus on other things like sourcing ingredients or creating new dishes. A high-quality pan release spray can help with this. Using a pan spray like Vegalene Allergen Free Food Release Spray can help to cut down on dishwashing time, as well as having the benefit of containing no common allergens, while still being a cost effective option to improve your bottom line. Making this change to save time and money, while also cutting down on possibilities for allergen contamination, is a small update you can make that will develop your healthcare operation and allow it to run more efficiently in its day to day.