A campaign has called on hospitals to provide plant-based menus by default.

The Plants First Healthcare campaign, which is led by senior NHS doctors, has been supported by 24 healthcare organisations representing over one million members. It was launched alongside the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change (UKHACC) Food Systems Policy Report, which calls for the “normalisation of plant-based meals within all healthcare settings”.

Signatories include Chris Packham and George Monbiot, as well as doctors such as Professor Tim Spector, Dame Parveen Kumar and Dr Fiona Godlee.

The campaign comes as New York City, in collaboration with Greener by Default, has successfully implemented a similar campaign, serving over 1.2 million plant-based meals since March 2022. Plants First Healthcare will work with Greener by Default to implement the ‘plants first by default’ approach to hospital menus within the UK.

Plants First Healthcare reported that the shift would “significantly improve national health outcomes”, calling it “essential” for meeting climate and nature targets. Plant-based hospital meals would include cost-saving ingredients such as pulses and whole grains.

Dr Shireen Kassam, campaign co-lead and consultant haematologist at King’s College London, said: “We have a long way to go to transform both staff and patient meals in hospitals. When staff and patients are made aware of the health and climate benefits of plant-based meals, they are supportive of incorporating more lower carbon, health promoting foods. The aim is to advance this transformation with Plants First Healthcare.”