Abstract
The incidence of obesity and diet-related disease has reached epidemic levels in the United States, yet there are no consistent standards that warrant hospitals to serve food that promotes patient's overall well-being. This exploratory ethnology of New Jersey hospital administrators working in 11 acute care hospitals has come to the following findings: Customer satisfaction is the likely indicator of the direction of a hospital's foodservice operation. In addition, hospitals generally place a premium on meal cost containment. The study also finds that New Jersey hospital administrators have concerns about the overall well-being of their patients, but often they do not have the time, infrastructure, resources, or knowledge to deal with nutrition-related issues. The author suggests that customer satisfaction and cost-based criteria for food selection make good business sense for hospitals, but do not necessarily form the best foundation for menus that are optimum for "healthcare." Recommendations are made for improved food and nutrient delivery systems.