New hospital nutrition standards. Obligation to take into account the needs of vegetarians

The draft regulations specify, among other things:

• uniform nomenclature and codes for hospital diets,
• characteristics of diets for adults, children, adolescents and pregnant and breastfeeding women,
• a list of products recommended and contraindicated for specific diets,
• detailed requirements regarding the energy and nutritional value of meals.

Meals are to be prepared based on menus developed by dieticians, and doctors – taking into account the patient’s needs and assessment of their nutritional status – will decide on the type and duration of the diet and its possible modifications (after possible consultation with a dietician).

The diet should be adapted not only to the patient’s health needs, but – if their health condition allows – also to their worldviews (e.g. choices related to vegetarianism).

According to the project, hospitals will be required to regularly verify the quality of meals – including through periodic laboratory tests and collecting patient opinions. Each medical facility will have to create a "Nutrition for Health" tab on its website, where the following will be published:

• used menus,
• laboratory test results,
• educational materials based on reliable scientific knowledge,
• the ability for patients to submit comments.

The new regulations will also apply when hospital catering services are provided by catering companies. This means that offers and contracts will have to be adjusted to the standards resulting from the regulation. In the long term, these changes may have a positive impact on the development of the high-quality food services market, including in the micro, small and medium-sized enterprise segment.

Hospitals will receive additional funding to meet new nutrition standards. It is worth emphasizing that this will not negatively impact the level of financing for other healthcare services.

The deadline for submitting comments is 15 July 2025.