Wendy Corbett

Freelance Writer, Plant-Based Diets

How Plant-Based Meals Could Save the NHS Millions

Image credit: The British Dietetic Association (BDA).

Dr. Shireem Kassam, Consultant Haematologist and founder of Plant-Based Health Professionals UK, shares the scientific evidence:

£633 million is spent on inpatient food provision, yet studies have shown that a plant-based diet would actually cost a third less in the UK.
For example, the NHS has almost 1.3 million employees and serves around 140 million meals to hospital patients each year. Switching to a plant-based menu could reduce the food-related carbon footprint by more than 50%.
Some doctors are now referring to the need for plant-based dietary change as ‘a moral imperative’.
The evidence suggests that healthcare systems around the world have the potential to influence more widespread dietary change.
Economic modeling suggests billions in health-related cost savings for the NHS.