The days of bland chicken, reconstituted potatoes, frozen peas and a side of syrupy, canned peaches appear to be coming to a close at a growing number of hospitals across the U.S.

Spurred by patient demand, concerns about setting a healthful example and a desire to make notoriously bad hospital food nutritious and appetizing, more hospitals are making strides in serving their patients fresh, organic and local produce alongside meats and dairy foods that are hormone- and antibiotic-free, as well as minimally processed.

Some hospitals have taken small steps — eliminating trans fats from their menus or switching to dairy products free of the growth hormone rBGH. Others have taken on bigger overhauls: The chef at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz cooks with produce from the hospital’s on-site vegetable garden; Chicago’s Swedish Covenant Hospital is gradually moving toward meals that are entirely organic.

Hospitals are implementing the changes largely in response to consumer trends, says Joyce Hagen-Flint, director of food and nutrition services at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point in Hudson, Fla.

“In the general population, people are becoming more conscious of what’s in the food on their plate, where it came from and its overall impact from a financial, health and economic perspective,” says Hagen-Flint, who is also on the board of directors of the Assn. of Healthcare Food Services.

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