Newly revised Nutritional Standards announced
Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt MLA announces newly revised Nutritional Standards for food served to staff and visitors in Northern Ireland across Health and Social Care settings.
25 September 2025: Newly revised Nutritional Standards have been announced today, applying to all facilities that serve food or beverages within Health and Social Care (HSC) settings in Northern Ireland. The aim is to create a healthier eating environment for staff and visitors, while setting an example for the wider public sector.
The Standards were first introduced in 2017 and last updated in 2022. They have been jointly developed by the Public Health Agency (PHA), the Food Standards Agency (FSA), Safefood and Health and Social Care (HSC) to ensure healthier food is consistently available across hospital and care settings, catering facilities, retail outlets and vending services. Their overall aim is to provide and promote healthier food environments, model good practice and support staff and visitors in maintaining good health.
“Good nutrition is fundamental to good health. The food and drink provided in our hospital and care settings, catering facilities, privately owned retail units and vending machines must meet the highest standards, not only in safety and quality, but in supporting the health and wellbeing of all staff and visitors.
— Mike Nesbitt, Health Minister
Launching the newly revised Nutritional Standards, Minister Mike Nesbitt said, “Good nutrition is fundamental to good health. The food and drink provided in our hospital and care settings, catering facilities, privately owned retail units and vending machines must meet the highest standards, not only in safety and quality, but in supporting the health and wellbeing of all staff and visitors. Within our Health and Social Care (HSC) settings, we have a unique opportunity and a clear responsibility to lead by example and ensure staff and visitors have access to nutritious, balanced and appealing food.”
“These newly revised standards will ensure meals are balanced and nourishing and demonstrate our continued commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of staff and visitors to health and social care settings. The standards build upon the foundations laid by previous versions and reflect the latest scientific evidence, evolving priorities in public health as well as feedback from those working at every level of our Health and Social Care system. I commend the collaborative work by all involved to shape a robust set of standards that will help deliver consistent, high-quality nutrition across all health and social care settings.”
As with previous editions, the 2025 revised Nutritional Standards align with the Eatwell Guide, government dietary recommendations and the latest requirements for food safety and allergen management.
While earlier versions placed particular emphasis on vending machines, which successfully reduced the average calorie content of products between 2019 and 2023 while sales remained stable or increased, the new edition turns its focus to private retail outlets within healthcare settings. A new section, Guidance for Private Retail Outlets, has been added to the Standards with the aim of improving the quality of food offerings in these settings. The guidance sets specific targets, such as increasing the fibre content of sandwiches and reducing the calorie levels of snacks, as well as the sugar and saturated fat content of yoghurts.
Efforts have been made throughout the revised document to emphasise an improvement of the general food environment. Food outlets with sufficient space are encouraged to ‘remove food high in fat, salt and sugar from the till area’. Smaller outlets, which may face space challenges, have been given greater flexibility: ‘In small areas, such as coffee docks, where this may not be possible, please display fruit closest to the till area.’
The Nutritional Standards in Health and Social Care settings have laid the groundwork for healthier food environments for staff and visitors across the public sector. However, to continue towards full implementation, future developments are needed. These include the introduction of a menu analysis tool to help catering staff provide healthier options and a communication plan to increase awareness of the Standards among staff and visitors.
With the proven success of the vending machine guidance, the visible support of the Health Minister and the inclusion of clearer and more achievable targets, there is confidence that the 2025 Nutritional Standards will be integrated successfully. The revisions represent an important step towards making healthier food environments the default across Health and Social Care facilities, ensuring long-term benefits for staff and visitors.
ENDS
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Notes to editors
First introduced in 2017, the Standards have been collaboratively developed by a team of dietitians, nutritionists, catering professionals and procurement services. Since their introduction, they have been further supported and updated to ensure they meet both the needs of staff and visitors in Health and Social Care settings and the latest scientific evidence and guidance.
