Green Hospital Food enters the next phase

How hospital meals can become healthier, more sustainable, and more appealing is at the heart of the project Green Hospital Food 2.0, which is now entering its next phase and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity. The project launch was covered by the WAZ on March 11, 2026.

Together with strong partners from research and practice, we at the University Medicine Essen are developing innovative approaches to hospital food services and evaluating them scientifically. Partners include the Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (IKIM), the research group Qualitative Research Methods and Strategic Communication for Health, Inclusion and Participation (CHIP) at TU Dortmund University, and Klüh Catering GmbH.

The project addresses key challenges in healthcare: using artificial intelligence to detect and reduce malnutrition at an early stage, while also developing strategies to minimize food waste. In addition, the project explores how food environments can be designed to facilitate healthier choices and develops evidence-based guidelines to support other hospitals in transforming their food services in a more sustainable way.

Read the WAZ article here.