Details on the initiative

In January, HHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued new dietary guidelines that advise Americans to prioritize protein and avoid sugary, processed foods.

During a press conference at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami, Kennedy announced that CMS sent a memo to hospitals Monday morning asking them to "align their food purchases with the dietary guidelines in order to enjoy continued eligibility for Medicaid and Medicare payments."

The memo states that the dietary guidelines issued in January "place heightened emphasis on diet quality -- including limiting ultra-processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, refined carbohydrates, and added sugars, while prioritizing whole and minimally processed foods. These updates reflect the latest federal nutrition policy and are encouraged to be used to inform patient nutrition services and related hospital protocols."

Specifically, the memo says hospital leadership and nutrition departments must evaluate:

• The elimination of refined grains, replacing them with 100% whole grains
• Prioritizing minimally processed protein sources, including plant-based options
• Emphasizing vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, seafood, and healthy fats
• Making sure vegetables and proteins are baked, broiled, roasted, stir-fried, or grilled rather than deep-fried
• Eliminating processed meats and foods that are high in added sugars, sodium, and artificial additives
• Making sure meals contain less than 10 grams of added sugar, unless clinically appropriate

The memo also recommends ways for hospitals to reconsider their menus. For example, hospitals could swap out refined cereals with added sugar for steel-cut oats with berries and nuts or eliminate processed deli meats with freshly prepared lean protein options.

"For too long, we have treated the food served in the hospitals as an afterthought," said CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz. "The food is bland, it's poorly prepared, and it's lacking nutrients of the nature that you actually need for a full recovery."

Oz also noted that the total cost of the new products "is not changing meaningfully. It's about a 5% increase in cost, a trivial rounding error. And the reason is, the food is not being thrown away anymore" because patients like it, which reduces waste.

Calley Means, senior advisor to Kennedy, said at the press conference that it doesn't make sense "that 90% of pediatric wards in America, which are treating children with prediabetes and obesity, have full-sugar soda machines.

Means added that the memo "is saying hospitals treating patients with chronic diseases should not be serving sugary drinks, should not be serving refined carbohydrates, and should not be serving ultraprocessed food."

Hannah Anderson, director of Healthy America Policy at the think tank American First Policy Institute, said that Monday's announcement is the "first meaningful implementation of the new food pyramid for the sickest kids."

"This means that kids getting cancer treatment will eat real protein from the producers here in Florida," she said. "This means that kids getting treatment for debilitating diseases will get whole milk. And this means that the kids who are fighting infection are getting the vitamin C or vitamin A from food that's grown right here in Florida."

A spokesperson for the American Hospital Association said that "hospitals recognize that nutritious food is an essential part of healing and recovery" and that hospitals will review the new guidance to incorporate it into their meal programs.