# Opinion: RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz Say 250 Hospitals Have Signed On to Serve Healthier Food, and Urge the Rest to Join

The HHS secretary and the CMS administrator argue hospitals buy so much food that their menus can move the market. They stress the pledge is voluntary and say they do not want Washington dictating meals. It is their own pitch.

- Section: [Opinion](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/opinion/)
- Published: 2026-10-26
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/opinion-rfk-jr-oz-250-hospitals-make-hospital-food-healthier-pledge-fox-news/

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz write in a Fox News opinion piece that 250 U.S. hospitals have joined their Make Hospital Food Healthier Pledge.

The claim. They say hospital meals too often feature highly processed foods, refined carbohydrates and added sugars that do little for patients recovering from surgery or managing chronic disease. A diabetes patient, they write, can get excellent care and then a tray that contradicts the advice: "A hospital meal should reinforce the care plan, not undermine it."

The pledge. HHS and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services launched it to improve the nutritional quality of meals served to patients and staff. They call it part of the Make America Healthy Again agenda under President Trump.

The market argument. They count about 6,100 U.S. hospitals with more than 35 million admissions a year and a healthcare foodservice market near $20 billion. That buying power, they argue, could push suppliers toward real food, with larger and steadier orders possibly lowering costs and spreading to schools, universities and workplaces.

The limits they set. The pledge is "voluntary and collaborative." They write that they are "not interested in Washington dictating hospital menus" and that hospitals must keep flexibility for therapeutic diets and medical nutrition support. They thank the American Hospital Association and the systems that signed.

The ask. "Now, we're calling on the rest of America's hospitals to join them."

Note for readers: this is an opinion piece by the officials running the program. The op-ed gives the 250 total but no list of hospitals, and it offers no evidence yet on health outcomes or costs.

## Source

Original reporting: [Fox News (opinion by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz)](https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/robert-f-kennedy-jr-dr-mehmet-oz-250-hospitals-join-fight-healthier-food)