Prince Charles is expected to tell NHS leaders this week that hospital patients deserve high-quality, locally sourced meals, rather than cheap dinners that are reheated.
In a visit to the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, the prince will highlight the importance of the health service using organic foods, and talk about the ‘virtuous circle’ created by using local produce, according to The Observer.
“Food miles are reduced, the food is fresh and local farmers and suppliers benefit,” he will tell chief executives. “It is crucial that food given to patients helps rather than risks hindering the process of recovery.”
The Royal Brompton, a specialist heart hospital in Chelsea, spends £3 a day per patient on food - three times more than some hospitals.
As patron of the Soil Association (SA), Prince Charles has overseen numerous efforts to improve hospital meals.
A report from the SA last year showed that 92 per cent of people receiving treatment in Cornwall’s hospitals, where they changed the way they procured their ingredients, rated the food as good or excellent, compared with 37 per cent of patients in other areas of the UK.
Prince Charles said that the fact managers in Cornwall had managed to keep their budget to £2.50 a day per patient “shows what can be achieved within the very real constraints of NHS budgets and the rules governing public procurement contracts”.
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