Mayor Adams’ Plant-Based Hospital Initiative Sees High Patient Satisfaction Rate

A new report shows that patient acceptance and satisfaction with default plant-based meals in New York City hospitals is over 90 percent. The study, named An Innovative Program for Hospital Nutrition, found that patient acceptance of these meals is over 95 percent, while satisfaction is more than 90 percent. These plant-based meals include dishes like Root Vegetable Tagine, Orange Cauliflower with Edamame, and Jackfruit Carnitas with White Rice and Jicama Slaw.

The NYC plant-based program, which began in 2021, has served over 1.2 million meals and led to a 36 percent reduction in hospital emissions. The meals are also cheaper, costing $0.59 less per meal than before. Mayor Eric Adams, a proponent of plant-based diets after reversing his own type 2 diabetes with animal-free foods, endorses this initiative. The success of this program has led to calls for more hospitals across the country to implement similar plant-based meal programs.