<div><p>Everyone and anyone who has ever stayed in a hospital, or visited someone who did, knows the quality of food is less than desirable. </p><p>Mushy, cold, bland, processed. It's just the way it is. Not to mention practically zero nutritional value. </p><p>But a new survey conducted by the Campaign for Better Hospital Food found out something a little troubling. 1 in 5 patients are forced to eat reheated airline-style food from plastic containers, while doctors and nurses at 77% of hospitals are served freshly cooked meals. </p><p>What's worse, is that 50% of the hospitals surveyed aren't even meeting basic standards for nutrition and hydration. </p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/03/hospital-food-4_slide-3e7b567b74dcddd991bdfd29ca17667a42acbf26.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>North Country Public Radio</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p>Continue reading to find out what the campaign is trying to accomplish. </p><p></p><p></p><p>The campaign is being spearheaded by Prue Leith, who felt it necessary to bring light to the "inedible, foul-smelling sludge" served to her mother when she was in the hospital. </p><p>"Hospitals don't seem to realize the importance of good food - not just nutritious food: it has to be palatable to get eaten --for both health and pleasure," Leith <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/03/23/hospital-food-divide-doctors-nurses-eat-better-sick-patients/">said</a>. "This report shows that at the moment most hospitals are not serving fresh, tasty and wholesome food so we must have legal standards, like those already in place for school food and prison food, to make sure good food is a priority in our hospitals."</p><p>The goal of the Campaign for Better Hospital Food is not just for quality meals, but also for stricter legislation and punishments for not meeting requirements. </p><p>Katherine Button, coordinator for the CBHF, said "Hospitals must start to prioritise patient food, as they already do for staff. Sick patients who are recovering from illness also deserve freshly prepared tasty and wholesome food cooked with care."</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/03/19-swellness-hosptial-food-w710-h473.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/03/19-swellness-hosptial-food-w710-h473_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/03/19-swellness-hosptial-food-w710-h473_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>New York Magazine</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p>Do you agree that hospitals should serve fresh-cooked meals to patients, not just doctors and nurses? Let us know!</p><p></p><p></p><p></p></div>