Systemic inquiry into mainstreaming sustainable food for Victorian patients

Victorian health services provide 2 million patient meals daily, functioning as “micro-food systems” with supply chains, monetary and non-monetary outcomes, and diverse systemic drivers. These settings are critical for food system reform due to their own scale, and potential to influence the food system beyond the hospital setting. Transitioning to a more environmentally sustainable food system—offering healthier (plant-based, less ultra-processed), seasonal, and local food while reducing waste and production impacts—is vital for improving human and planetary health. In 2022, sustainability procurement standards were incorporated into updated nutrition and quality food standards for Victorian public hospitals. However, aligning practices with these standards and transitioning from isolated sustainable initiatives to widespread adoption remains complex. Health services must balance nutrition, safety, budget, operations and patient experience while navigating intricate supply chains. Despite progress, a clear, scalable path forward for sustainable food provision is lacking. Our research aims to address this gap by partnering with health services, the Department of Health, the Climate and Health Alliance, and local food providers. The objective is to enable health services to deliver sustainable food systems that meet or exceed the new standards while addressing systemic barriers. We will conduct a two-phase study. Firstly, a collective sensemaking process with stakeholders generates a system map of challenges and identifies connections, trade-offs, and leverage points for implementing sustainable food practices. This map will inform the co-design of potential interventions. Phase two evaluates the economic, health, and environmental impacts of these interventions. This analysis will estimate costs and benefits, including non-monetary outcomes like environmental implications, across diverse health services with varying food systems and population catchments. The project anticipates significant policy and practice impacts, including practical guidance for implementing sustainable food systems and evidence to inform future standards and advocacy efforts. Outputs will include a system map, intervention analyses, cost and health evaluations, and synthesized recommendations for scaling change across Victoria. By addressing barriers and fostering collaboration, this research seeks to accelerate the transition to sustainable food systems in Victorian health services, benefiting both community health and the environment.ec summary