Celebrity chef Loyd Grossman joins attack on government for 'hospital food failure'

The celebrity chef was appointed by the NHS in 2001 to revamp hospital menus as part of the 'Better Hospital Food Initiative'. The £40m project was scrapped in 2006 and criticised for being weak and ineffective. Grossman said: "I remain totally convinced that improving hospital catering would bring great benefits to many millions of patients. My colleagues and I were frustrated and disappointed that there was neither the political will nor sufficient resources to improve hospital food. "During the five years I worked voluntarily and without pay for the NHS, I reported to five different ministers: such high ministerial turnover means that you are constantly reselling ideas to the top team. It is a scandal that improving hospital catering remains far from the top of the NHS agenda." Alex Jackson, co-ordinator of the Good Food for Our Money campaign, added: "Loyd worked very hard to improve hospital food but was badly let down by the government, who were more interested in getting media headlines than making a lasting improvement to hospital food. "The government spent more than £50m of taxpayers' money on failed voluntary projects to improve hospital food in the last decade. It must now act to introduce mandatory standards for all hospital food to ensure it is healthy, good for the environment and delicious to eat."