The Netherlands’ multidisciplinary team developed a seven-day plant-based hospital menu that delivers 90–97 g of protein per day while remaining cost- and operationally feasible. After testing 40 recipes, the team selected 30 top dishes and organized them into daily menus costing €10.50–€12.30. Published in the European Journal of Nutrition, the study finds plant-only meals can be nutritionally adequate and palatable and calls for real-world trials to measure patient acceptance and intake.
Dutch Team Designs Seven-Day High-Protein Plant-Based Menu for Hospital Patients
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Hospital food rarely gets a reputation for being craveable. In the Netherlands, a multidisciplinary team has developed a seven-day, plant-based menu template designed to be realistic for patients, budgets, and standard hospital kitchens while meeting clinical protein needs.
The initiative supports the Netherlands' Green Deal on Sustainable Healthcare, which aims for a 40%–60% animal-to-plant protein ratio by 2030. Reported by Plant Based News and shared on social media by PBN Food (@pbnfood), the menu was created and evaluated by a 16-person team that adapted familiar, high-protein dishes—such as oats, omelettes, pancakes, quiche, casseroles, curries, and cakes—into fully plant-derived hospital meals.
Between April and December, the project group selected, prepared, tasted, and evaluated 40 recipes. The team included chefs from Amsterdam University Medical Center and partner companies, registered dietitians, a physician, hospital facilities staff, and product and R&D specialists. Each recipe was scored on protein content, taste, portion sizing, cost, and operational practicality.
From that process the team chose the 30 top-scoring dishes and arranged them into seven daily menus. According to the report, each daily menu supplies 90–97 grams of protein (about 3.2–3.4 ounces) and costs between €10.50 and €12.30 (approximately $11.94–$13.98) per day.
The planners prioritized recipes that can be plated and served from standard hospital trays. Examples include a soy-quark bowl, hazelnut pancakes, a paprika-chickpea sandwich, a spinach and soy mince pie, eggplant pilaf with a bean cassoulet, and carrot-banana cake. The study emphasizes that meals must balance nutritional adequacy with patient satisfaction, staff capacity, and cost constraints while remaining familiar and comforting for ill or stressed patients.
"This study demonstrates that fully plant-derived meals can provide adequate protein, be palatable, cost-effective, and feasible for clinical implementation," the authors write in research published in the European Journal of Nutrition.
The project is part of a wider trend in institutional food service exploring whether lower-emission meals can meet high nutrition and taste standards. For example, Sodexo UK & Ireland and partner Nuffield Health reported that, after making plant-based foods the default across 35 hospitals, food-related emissions fell by 22% while meat served per patient declined by 14% and plant protein increased by nearly 50%—all alongside strong diner satisfaction during the one-year pilot.
Looking ahead, the research team recommends real-world implementation studies that track patient acceptance, actual intake versus personalized clinical requirements, and operational rollout across diverse hospital settings. The authors also note broader opportunities to reduce environmental impact through consumer food swaps, upcycling ingredients previously treated as waste, and innovations to cut food waste before landfills.
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