NHS serves venison to staff and patients across London

A major NHS trust has begun offering wild venison in meals for patients and staff at three of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals across London. The hospitals’ catering team recently hosted a Venison Theme Day at Shepherds Hall Restaurant to celebrate the introduction of this sustainable meat to its menus. 

Six other NHS trusts are trialling pheasant, partridge and venison on their menus as part of a project driven by British Game Assurance. 

BGA’s CEO Louisa Clutterbuck told ST: “We are delighted to see that, after the initial trials of venison, it is now being rolled out across the NHS. We continue to work with the NHS team and Highland Game to facilitate the wider introduction of these sustainable, wild foods and hope initiatives like this can be replicated across all public sectors.” 

Roger Seddon, a spokesman for the Countryside Alliance, said: “This is incredibly welcome news, and we wish the excellent team at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust every success. Serving venison not only benefits public health but also the environment, by reducing carbon emissions and supporting culling operations that are essential for maintaining biodiversity.”