Hospital food retail environment in Poznań, Poland: a one-day audit of protein sources, plant-based options, and cooking methods

Hospitals are important public institutions that influence food environments for patients, staff, visitors, and students. Although research on hospital nutrition has traditionally focused on patient catering, considerably less attention has been paid to retail food outlets operating within hospitals. Evidence describing hospital retail food environments remains particularly limited in Central and Eastern Europe. The aim of the study was to provide a descriptive, cross-sectional assessment of protein sources within meals, the availability of vegetarian and plant-based options, and culinary preparation methods in hospital retail food outlets in Poznań, Poland. This cross-sectional observational study employed a one-day snapshot audit of hospital retail food outlets in Poznań, Poland. Thirteen cafeterias located across eight public hospitals were assessed. All meal-type food items available on the day of data collection ( n = 233) were recorded and categorised according to their primary protein source (meat-based, fish-based, vegetarian, or plant-based), plant-based status, and predominant culinary preparation method. Meat-based items accounted for the largest proportion (57%) of food offerings across hospital retail outlets, followed by vegetarian items containing eggs and/or dairy products (32%). Plant-based (vegan) options were available to a limited extent (7%), whereas fish-based items were least frequently observed (5%). Culinary preparation methods varied across protein source categories, with both thermally processed and non-thermally prepared items identified in all groups. Hospital retail food offerings in Poznań were predominantly characterised by animal-based food offerings. These findings provide baseline evidence on food availability within hospital retail settings and may inform future efforts to diversify meal offerings and increase the availability of plant-based options in healthcare institutions.