Shift in Hospital Menus: When Fast Food Strikes Healthcare

The Medical Committee suggests hospitals to provide plant-based meals as fried foods increase heart disease and death.

In a recent Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine/Morning Consult poll, most Americans emphasize that junk foods such as pizza, fried chicken, and cheeseburgers should be banned from sales in hospitals. This poll is the latest report from Physicians Committee, a nonprofit healthcare organization with 17,000 doctor members. The committee found that Chick-fil-A operates in at least 20 U.S. hospitals or medical centres.

The poll was conducted July 1 to 3, 2025, among 2,202 U.S. adults.

When asked, “Do you believe fast food—such as fried chicken, cheeseburgers, or pizza—should be sold in hospitals to patients, visitors, and staff?”

52% of repliers said “no” to fast food sales in hospitals, 57% believe hospitals should not profit from this sale, and 85% agreed junk food promotes poor health.

According to the fast-food restaurant’s website, a new report from the Physicians Committee finds that Chick-fil-A is located in at least 20 U.S. hospitals or medical centres.

“While many people consider chicken to be a healthier option than red meat, consuming chicken can increase cholesterol just as much as eating red meat,” says Anna Herby, DHSc, RD, CDCES, who is the nutrition education specialist for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and oversees the organization’s Healthy Hospital Program. “Hospital staff, visitors, and patients would benefit by choosing more chickpeas and other plant-based foods instead of chicken.”

The Dangerous Trend of Fast Food in Medical Centres

Consuming chicken has been linked to higher cancer risk, and consuming fried chicken is linked to higher risk of heart disease. Earlier this year, a study found that eating 300 grams of poultry—about the size of a large chicken breast—per week was linked to an increased risk of gastrointestinal cancer and death from all causes.

A study published in BMJ found that women who ate fried chicken once or more per day had a 13% higher risk of death from any cause compared with women who did not eat any fried food and a 12% increased risk of death from heart disease.

A Call for Healthier Hospital Food Policy

In 2017, the American Medical Association adopted a resolution calling on hospitals to provide plant-based meals and remove processed meats, such as chicken nuggets, from menus.

“Hospitals should set an example by ensuring that their restaurants serve more menu items that are cholesterol-free, low in saturated fat, and high in fiber-rich vegetables, grains, beans, and fruit,” says Dr. Herby. “Meals like these have been shown to help prevent or improve the chronic diseases that bring people to the hospital.”

Source-Eurekalert