Hospitals in São Paulo state are phasing out ultra-processed foods in favour of organic vegetables and locally made alternatives, building on Brazil's successful school meal reforms. Monthly food fairs connect hospital staff with over 50 local farms to source fresh ingredients for patient meals.
Guardian Global Development · Wednesday, 20 May 2026
After successfully cutting ultra-processed foods in schools, nutritionists and politicians hope locally grown and freshly cooked meals will improve patient health Every month a few dozen staff from some of São Paulo’s leading hospitals take time out of their busy schedules to visit food fairs where stallholders from more than 50 local farms display their produce. The aim is to strike deals that will supply the hospitals with organic vegetables, homemade bread and other locally made foods.Started in October 2023, the fairs are part of a revolutionary scheme in São Paulo state to phase out ultra-processed foods (UPFs) from hospital menus in favour of healthier alternatives. “It’s not only cooks, nutritionists, meal planners and hospital management who attend the fairs but also nurses and doctors,” says Weruska Davi Barrios, a specialist in hospital nutrition at the University of São Paulo, the institution that has initiated the project. Continue reading...
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