Nine U.S. health systems are calling on food producers and manufacturers to meet the growing demand for sustainable meat and poultry within healthcare, according to Health Care Without Harm.

U.S. hospitals' capacity to meet sustainable food purchasing goals remains out of reach until producers and the healthcare supply chain increase production and access to verified products.

"Health systems have been demanding these products for several years and small and mid-scale producers are ready to respond. We see an opportunity for healthcare to partner with their vendors, like food-service management companies, food distributors and group-purchasing organizations to incorporate these producers and tip the scale around antibiotic overuse in animal agriculture. We want to see larger producers follow suit so all hospitals and other institutions can access these products," said Hillary Bisnett, National Procurement Director for Health Care Without Harm's Healthy Food in Health Care program. 

Together these nine organizations spend more than $34 million per year on meat and poultry products and are backed by thousands of hospitals within the Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth networks that are actively working toward purchasing more sustainable products at their facilities.

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