ISS to compel franchisees to meet NHS hospital food targets
Caterer ISS will compel all its franchise partners to meet NHS hospital food targets, it has announced on the release of the Campaign for Better Hospital Food's brand league table.
Earlier this year, NHS England set targets for healthier checkouts, food advertising and price promotions for shops, cafés and restaurants serving food on hospital grounds. Brands operating in hospitals have to meet Health & Wellbeing Commissioning for Quality and innovation (CQUIN) targets by March 2017, or risk NHS England withholding a percentage of hospital budget where that seller has a presence.
Shops, restaurants and catering companies that sell food in NHS hospitals have been rated for their commitment to the targets. The Royal Voluntary Service has come out top for meeting all targets ahead of the deadline, while Subway and Burger King sit at the bottom of the rankings for failing to meet three out of four NHS targets for promotion of healthier food.
ISS has won special recognition for its commitment to ensure all the brands it brings into hospitals, including Starbucks and Costa, will meet the targets by the deadline.
ISS spokesperson Craig Smith said: "ISS has committed to making the changes to meet the targets unilaterally, enforcing the changes on individual brands if necessary, to make sure ISS is fully compliant."
Katherine Button from the Campaign for Better Hospital Food, said: "The healthier option should be the easier option in hospitals, and at the moment Subway and Burger King appear to be holding back moves towards a healthier NHS. And through their formal partnerships with hospital caterers, they are also appearing to be holding back those caterers from doing better in the Healthy Hospital Food League Table."
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