Hackensack Meridian Health Palisades Medical Center, partnering with its dining services provider Sodexo, hosted Cool Food Pledge Day in its City Lights Café to encourage healthy eating and celebrate Hackensack Meridian Health’s commitment to the Cool Food Pledge. Championed by the World Resources Institute, the Cool Food Pledge focuses on offering diners delicious food that is better for the planet with the goal of slashing food-related greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030. Hackensack Meridian Health signed the Cool Food Pledge in May 2019.
Plant-centered food options are gaining traction with 39% of Americans actively trying to incorporate them into their diets. The Cool Food Pledge’s focus on plant-centered foods aligns with Hackensack Meridian Health’s population health strategies to prevent disease and create healthier communities. The event offered free food samples and a broad menu of innovative plant-centered dishes, including:
- Build-to-order bowls featuring healthy grains, lentils, beans and a variety of roasted vegetables
- Grilled to order vegan Impossible Burger with a delicious Southern California flavor
- Vietnamese ancient grain bites made with nutritious spelt and amaranth
- The Natural, a juicy blend of beef and mushrooms – available as a burger-bite for the grain bowls
Similar events were held in the cafes of additional Hackensack Meridian Health locations in New Jersey, including Raritan Bay Medical Perth Amboy, Raritan Bay Medical Center Old Bridge, Carrier Clinic, Mountainside Medical Center and Pascack Valley Medical Center.
