The days of lumpy mash and watery gravy should become a thing of the past for hospital patients and staff as new mandatory food standards are introduced.
The rules will be : Continue to read legally binding and are aimed at putting an end to unhealthy and inedible meals on the NHS.Under the changes, all patients will be checked for malnutrition, given an individual food plan and get help eating and drinking.
Canteen food must also be healthy, meet guidelines on salt, sugar and fat and be sustainably sourced.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said most people enjoyed the meals they currently received.
But he added: "Patients say the quality of food at their hospital is one of the most important things in their stay, on top of which we know that if you give people healthy, nutritious food it means they recover more quickly, they stay in hospital for a shorter amount of time and it costs the NHS less, so there are lots of reasons why this is very important."
The plans come from a report by the Hospital Food Standards Panel, which also recommended hospitals develop food and drink policies that encourage healthy eating, high-quality food production, sustainability and excellent nutritional care. Sky News
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