New hospital food standards and gluten-free provisions

August 29, 2014

A report by the Hospital Food Standards Panel, an independent group established by the Department of Health, on standards for food and drink in NHS hospitals in England has been published today. The report recommends five legally binding food standards to be introduced into 2015/16 NHS Standard Contracts, which will come into effect from April 2015.

Coeliac UK was represented on two of the three Expert Reference Groups established by the Panel to ensure a wide range of expertise in the production of the report’s recommendations. We are delighted that one of the five legally binding standards covering nutrition and therapeutic diets recommends that all hospitals should have a policy covering gluten-free provision and ensures that food preparation and labelling of gluten-free food is consistent with the law and guidance from the Food Standards Agency.

This means that from April 2015, those requiring a gluten-free diet will be able to make a safe and informed choice when in hospital.

We will provide more information on the implementation of the standards and what it means for our Members closer to the implementation date. Visit the NHS website and click on ‘Hospital Food Standards Panel’s report’. Within the report, see the ‘summary of recommendations’ for a link to the Nutrition and Hydration Digest for more information.