Colorado Hospitals Lower Healthy Food Prices

Recently, the cafeterias at Poudre Valley Hospital and Medical Center of the Rockies in Colorado changed the pricing of their food to encourage visitors to make healthier choices. The pilot program “Healthy U Picks,” which will continue through the fall, lowers the prices of healthy foods while raising the prices of unhealthy choices after a survey conducted last year revealed that cost was a main factor for patients, visitors, and staff when choosing something to eat. As a result, the veggie burger now costs 25 cents less than its animal-based equivalent, leading to a sell-out of the plant-based option. “We had a significant difference in how many people got veggie burgers compared to hamburgers; we even ran out of the veggie burgers, which is a good problem,” said MCR Food Director Robyn Smith Brown.