Healthy eating campaigner urges patients to boycott Costa at Milton Keynes Hospital

A healthy eating and animal welfare campaigner has launched a leaflet campaign for people to boycott the Costa Coffee café at Milton Keynes University hospital.

Virginia Bell handed out leaflets outside the hospital’s main entrance on Friday as part of her year-long battle to persuade the hospital to drop processed foods and introduce more plant-based options.

But hospital Trust bosses say all their outlets follow NHS guidance on food and drink and 50% of their offerings are vegan.

Costa still has10 years to run on its contract in the hospital’s main entrance and Virginia is urging NHS bosses to consider replacing it with a plant-based café when the contract ends.

She is also battling the scrapping of refined sugary and high fat snacks in vending machines dotted throughout the hospital building. And hospital meals for patients should much more vegan, she believes.

"Hospitals have banned all smoking on their premises. Like cigarettes, processed meats - sausages, bacon, ham, hot dogs, etc - have been designated as Group 1 carcinogens by the World Health Organisation,” she said.

“Meat, dairy and fish consumption and production are destroying the planet and people's health and causing world hunger. Should hospitals provide us with foods such as over-refined foods that are known to be killing people worldwide? And why offer food that has contributed to the patients going into hospital in the first place?”

Virginia added: "The American Medical Association has urged hospitals to drop processed meats and increase plant-based foods, and the American Journal of Cardiology has stressed "the moral imperative” of the medical profession to promote plant-based nutrition. Also, a coalition of doctors in Scotland have urged for a ban on meat in hospitals, comparing the serving of red and processed meat to the distributing of cigarettes.”

“By appointing Costa as the hospital's cafe, the hospital Trust board is not promoting people's health or the health of the planet or animal welfare. Rather, MKUH is profiting from and encouraging people's lack of education and bad habits… Other hospitals have opened plant-based food outlets. MKUH has chosen not to do so.”

A MKUH spokesman replied by stating: “The Compass Group is responsible for the outlets in the hospital’s main reception.. All the outlets have to follow NHS guidance on food and drink ... 50% of the offerings are vegan.”

Their statement quotes a recent Dublin Declaration that states: “The highest standards of bio-evolutionary, anthropological, physiological, and epidemiological evidence underscore that the regular consumption of meat, dairy and eggs, as part of a well-balanced diet is advantageous for human beings.”

Costa also offers plant-based alternatives to dairy.

In response to Virginia’s questions, the hospital’s catering manager has confirmed he will investigate options for the vending machines to contain more health foods when this comes up for review.

All drinks in the vending machines are low or no sugar and 80% of all confectionary is below 250 calories, says the hospital.

They also say the three retail units – Costa, Subway and Littlefresh - all healthy products/meals on offer.

"On the inpatient menus healthier choices are highlighted, with a third of all hot main course items being healthy. Nine of the total 24 hot main course choices are vegetarian, three are vegan,” said a spokesman.