UT Medical Center Nutrition & Food Services

Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician considered the father of Western medicine, once said, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." It’s a powerful statement and a reminder of the impact food can have on us and our patients-as significant as the medicine we prescribe.
For the medical center, food is a central component of both patient care and team member experience. And for our Nutrition & Food Services team, “food” means much more than simply feeding the thousands of people in and out of our facilities each day. Our Nutrition & Food Services team is made up of 165 team members facilitating every food-related aspect of our health system. Dietitians, chefs, cooks, pot washers, cashiers and more collaboratively serve a critical role in providing food to patients, visitors and team members.
Our Clinical Nutrition team designs the menu for our patients and ensures the food they are served contributes to improved health. The menu must meet Joint Commission, Infection Control and Medical Executive Committee standards. Our team of dietitians-who are food and nutrition experts-oversee the care of patients as it relates to their nutrition. This team works directly with patients to adjust their diet based on their individual medical needs and requirements.
Our Food Services team members are devoted to the preparation and delivery of food to all patients, visitors and team members at the medical center. These team members oversee and execute all aspects of operating the kitchen at the medical center-preparing, serving and delivering food, and cleaning our food preparation spaces.
To put things in perspective, here’s some impressive stats that underscore the scope and impact of their role in helping us achieve health transformation in our region:
• 50,000 patient meals served per month
• 185,000 retail transactions per month
• 15,000 physician meals served per month
And some of the ingredients?
• 6,000 pounds of potatoes served each month
• 4,880 pounds of eggs served each month
• 1,920 pounds of zucchini served each month
• 1,280 pounds of tomatoes served each month
• 1,152 pounds of grapes served each month
• And nearly 13,000 strawberries and 2,400 bananas served each month