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University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Health’s Nutrition and Food Services has become the first healthcare organization to be REAL Certified® for its use of nutrition and sustainability best practices. Serving over 8,000 patients, customers, faculty, staff, and students per day, UCSF joins other institutions in higher education – including UC Davis, UC San Diego, Stanford University, Marist College, and Sacred Heart University – who have undergone the audit process.
Dan Henroid, Director of Nutrition and Food Services (NFS) states that “As an active participant in the national culinary arts, nutrition and food movements, our food-services team at UCSF strives to develop customer friendly solutions to today’s most pressing social and environmental concerns, such as obesity, diabetes, and rising healthcare costs. The REAL Certification provides an excellent framework for acknowledging and verifying the advances we are making in sourcing and producing the food we serve at UCSF.”
REAL Certified, a program of the United States Healthful Food Council (USHFC) is modeled after the LEED® Green Building Certification, and is a nationally recognized mark of excellence for food and foodservice operators committed to holistic nutrition and environmental stewardship. Third-party registered dietitians (RDs) utilize a points-based REAL Index to audit and certify restaurants, cafeterias, and corporate cafes across a range of criteria such as the utilization of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthful preparation methods, moderate portion sizes, behavioral components that encourage “better for you” choices, and sustainable practices for food sourcing. Only those that satisfy the rigorous requirements are awarded the certification.
“UCSF is a champion for setting new standards in healthcare foodservice and offers a range of innovations that demonstrate excellence in delivering REAL, whole fresh food that is nutritious and sustainable,” said Lawrence Williams, CEO of USHFC.
About UCSF Health and Nutrition Food Services (NFS)
UCSF Health Nutrition and Food Services (NFS) is responsible for all UCSF Medical Center food operations, including patient dining, retail food outlets, inpatient and outpatient nutrition services, catering and conference services, and gift shops. UCSF patients and their families and friends, as well as UCSF employees, students, and visitors, rely on the department for a wide range of nutrition and dining services. UCSF provides food and nutrition care for patients while they are hospitalized and provides nutrition counseling for patients through outpatient clinics. UCSF serves more than one million customers each year through its patient dining operations, a variety of retail dining options, and catering services throughout the UCSF Medical Center and campus. UCSF NFS has won numerous awards for food excellence, technological innovation, and environmental sustainability.
About Eat REAL
Eat REAL® is a 501(c) (3) Public Health nonprofit organization based in Richmond, California. Eat REAL is dedicated to transforming food in K-12 schools, creating a healthier next generation and planet. Launched in 2012, Eat REAL Certified is a nutrition and sustainability best practices certification program working with school district food service leaders to raise the bar and make food in schools more nutritious and sustainable. Eat REAL’s core program currently supports 237 schools, reaching over 116,000 students.
