Stepping down after over ten years in the post he will be succeeded by Simon Clark, head of catering at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Representatives from TUCO, HCA, Premier Foods, LACA and the MoD used the stand over the four-day exhibition, which saw visitor numbers increase 15% on the previous show.
Each chef team had one hour to cook a beef-based two course hospital meal at Hotelympia’s live theatre, in the Salon Culinaire HCA Hot Cookery competition.
Tim Rycroft made the claim as he was being challenged by Olympian James Cracknell, who recently published a report supporting the move, on Channel 4 news.
The NHS has launched the initiative, supported by Public Health England, to test creative solutions for the health and care challenges of the 21st century, including obesity and dementia.
The spokesperson told national media: “It is a very complex issue and there is a lot of work going on to get it right.
Amongst the exhibitors is the PS100, located at stand 1358 near the food zone.
The awards take place at the HCA national leadership and development forum 14th - 15th April in Liverpool.
Dysphagia is the clinical term for someone experiencing swallowing difficulties and is often related to conditions such as dementia and strokes.
In part, the growth is due to the £9 million spent on organic food through the Soil Association’s Food for Life Catering Mark, an increase of £2 million, and up 28% on last year.