Hospital

Manuela Miccoli and Alejandro Hernandez, who won the 2024 NHS Chef of the Year competition, will showcase healthy and nutritious hospital meals during a demonstration at the upcoming Public Sector Catering Expo.

The Public Sector Catering Expo is scheduled for 18–19 November at the NAEC Stoneleigh in Warwickshire. The event will feature an exhibition with over 100 suppliers, an engaging speaker programme, insightful cooking demonstrations, and the military catering competition Exercise Joint Caterer (EJC).

This week at the 2025 Healthcare Catering Live conference in Birmingham, Apetito unveiled its new vision for hospital staff and visitor dining by introducing a selection of ‘innovative’ concepts to attendees aiming to elevate catering across healthcare settings.  
 

The New York City Health Department and the Mayor’s Office of Food Policy (MOFP) updated its food standards to restrict artificial colours, eliminate all processed meats and increase offerings of minimally processed plant proteins in schools, public hospitals and older adult centres.

The updated NYC Food Standards aim to support the health of more than one million New Yorkers, including schoolchildren, older adults, NYC Health and hospitals patients as well as others accessing meals or snacks from city agencies.

Welsh drinks company Radnor Hills has partnered with VendEase to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) Charity. 

Donations are being made by both companies for every bottle of Radnor Water and Radnor Splash purchased from VendEase’s vending machines in 400 Premier Inn hotels across the country.

Compass One’s Cuisine Centre has achieved the Green Kitchen Standard certification for their sustainable kitchen practices – the first production kitchen to receive this accolade.

The certification, awarded by the Soil Association, recognises caterers that are taking positive steps to sustainably manage energy, water and waste. The Soil Association aims to ‘transform’ the way people eat, farm and care for the natural world. 

Bio Capital has announced that they’ve been awarded a new contract by Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for the collection and treatment of food waste across its sites.

The 36-month contract will see food waste from the Trust’s hospitals diverted from landfill or incineration and instead processed at the state-of-the-art Emerald Biogas anaerobic digestion (AD) facility in Newton Aycliffe.

Sodexo Health & Care has strengthened its long-standing partnership with Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust after being awarded an eight-year extension to its patient dining contract, following a competitive tendering process.

Philip Leigh, chief executive of Sodexo UK & Ireland health and care, said the contractor had worked with Chesterfield Royal Hospital for nearly 30 years to deliver high-quality catering services in partnership with Derbyshire Support and Facilities Services (DSFS), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trust.

The eight finalists for the NHS Chef of the Year competition have been revealed after showcasing their skills, dedication and a true passion for NHS catering excellence at one of the four regional finals. 

The organisers of the competition say this year has been a true celebration of NHS chefs’ passion, creativity and skill. From exceptional dishes to inspiring teamwork, the chefs have once again raised the bar, showcasing the remarkable talent across the NHS. The eight finalists are:

The Watercress Company (TWC), which claims to be the UK’s largest grower of watercress, is taking a lead in helping hospitals fulfil their Net Zero Food ambitions while serving up nutritious and sustainable meals to patients.  

Through ‘groundbreaking’ work with development chef Mathieu Eke, who won Public Sector Catering’s 2025 Special Contribution Award, the watercress grower is partnering with farms in Dorset and Hampshire to make watercress a staple on NHS menus.

The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (RJAH) in Shropshire has been recognised as a Love British Food ‘Hero’, confirming its commitment to serving high-quality, locally sourced British produce on patient menus.