The Production Kitchen

The sounds of a busy hospital kitchen have changed over the years, including at Peace Arch Hospital in White Rock BC. New technology and pre-packaged meals, introduced for greater efficiency and cost-savings, have somewhat muted the clanging of pots and pans. But there’s a new movement underway to return to an old concept: full-service food production, with meals prepared from scratch. In this episode of Power to Heal, you’ll learn why these “production kitchens,” as they’re called, are making a comeback – and how they can play a major role in creating shorter hospital stays and improved patient outcomes. Here’s a hint: It’s all about choice. Back in the 1990s, the Canada Food Guide – designed to help Canadians make better, more nutritional food choices – featured a simple, four-colour scheme representing a balanced diet. Variety of choice, it appeared, was in short supply. Later editions of the Food Guide acknowledged that a one-size-fits-all approach didn’t address the complexities of Canada’s rapidly changing demographics, with dietary needs based on age, religion, and cultural considerations increasingly coming to the fore. This posed a problem for kitchens in healthcare settings, many of which had been caught up in the trend toward lower-cost pre-packaged meals, known as “retherme.” But lately, and especially in countries like the United States and Great Britain, there has been a return to the “production kitchen,” a place where a more flexible, personalized menu of made-from-scratch meals can be produced from fresh ingredients. In this episode of Power to Heal, you’ll meet a food service expert who is a vocal supporter of the production kitchen, and the many benefits, great and small, it can bring to the patient experience at hospitals like Peace Arch. Guests: Susan Kelly, regional manager of support services, including food operations, with Fraser Health. Amy O’Leary, director of philanthropy for the Peace Arch Hospital Foundation. The Power to Heal is hosted by veteran broadcaster and long-time White Rock/South Surrey resident, Wayne Cox. Presented by Peace Arch Hospital Foundation in White Rock, British Columbia, the Power to Heal podcast takes you behind the scenes of an innovative hospital Foundation. It introduces you to the team who find new and sometimes surprising ways to engage with the local community and help fund the best healthcare possible in the region. Since 1988, the Foundation has raised over $210 million for capital projects, medical equipment, and community health programs. Their passionate and caring team’s number one priority is the prudent stewardship of your gifts and the resulting positive impact on patients and medical staff at Peace Arch Hospital and the entire White Rock-South Surrey community. Download the Power to Heal wherever you get your favourite podcasts. Links: For more information about the Peace Arch Hospital Foundation, or to donate, visit pahfoundation.ca