Pilot program at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario aims to serve fresh, homemade meals

The program will serve patients homemade, locally sourced foods, including the vegetables pulled from a healing garden. The cafeteria chef believes if a hospital can provide children with food that's comforting and nourishing and they have an appetite for it, it can lead to earlier discharges and decrease the length of stay. The program, currently available to 20 patients in the hospital's eating disorders group, grew out of an overhaul of the cafeteria to promote a healthy food strategy. A trial launched in the fall and showed that when patients were served food they like, they're more likely to eat it. The children especially liked the meals, explaining why the program's being expanded to the rest of the hospital. They expect to roll out the program, unit by unit, before the end of the year.