A New Deal Gives Hospitals in the US Access to Natural and Organic Food

MedAssets purchased food and supplies for more than 200 Million US $ for 2,400 hospitals in 2005, reports Newstarget. UNFI – United Natural Food Incorporated - is the largest publicly traded wholesale distributor to the natural and organic foods industry in the country. This deal is the first contract between a major health care buyer and organic food distributor, which reflects the growing demand for healthy food options. It also demonstrates the growing awareness in the health care industry about the impacts of current large scale agribusiness practices, as Jamie Harvie, Healthy Food Coordinator for Health Care Without Harm, states. Hospitals throughout the country are starting to recognize that the production and distribution of food has a high impact on the health of the staff and the patients. They demand food which has to be nutritious, but grown in ways that are better for the environment and equitable for farmers and their workers.