Guidelines for Outside Food

Room Service: We buy, make, and store food in ways that meet state health rules. We work hard to make sure food is very safe. This is why we prefer that you eat food from the hospital room service.

Nourishment Room: There are nourishment rooms in the Cancer and Blood Disorders Center with snacks (crackers, cheese, yogurt, milk, juice, etc.). Nurses, doctors, and dietitians can bring food from the nourishment room to your room, but families may not go into nourishment rooms.

Outside Food: If you want food that room service does not have, you can bring in outside food. This includes food from the Ocean Café, Starbucks, restaurants outside of the hospital, or food brought from home. When choosing one of these options, please follow the safety guidelines below.

• Outside food must follow your medical diet order and the food safety guidelines.
• Avoid salad bars, delicatessens, sidewalk vendors and food trucks.
• Avoid raw fruits and vegetables from restaurants because of food safety risk.
• Outside food that needs to be kept cold must be labeled with the date it was prepared. All prepared food must be thrown away after 4 days if not eaten.
• All foods must be thrown away if they are past their expiration date.
• Outside food should not be shared with other patients or families.

• It is best to bring in single-serving sizes.
• Foods should be kept cold or hot while in transport to the hospital. A cooler with ice can be used to keep foods cold. Hot foods can be wrapped in layers of newspaper or another insulating wrap.
• Never leave perishable food or drink out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours. Throw away food or drink left out longer than 2 hours.
• Drinks are considered perishable. Try to bring drinks in single-serving sizes. Large bottles may not fit in the refrigerator in your room.

• Foods like crackers, cookies and cereal must be brought into your room unopened.
• Non-perishables should be kept in the cabinet in your room or in food storage boxes that you can bring in. They must not be stored on the windowsill or other areas that would prevent thorough cleaning of the room.
• Use small packages to avoid having too many leftovers.

• There are forks, knives, and spoons (utensils) in the unit nourishment room. Members of the healthcare team can bring these to your room if needed. Metal utensils must be returned to the dirty food cart. Disposable plastic utensils must be thrown away right after use.
• Small appliances like toasters, blenders, coffeemakers, or hot plates are not allowed in hospital rooms. We have this rule to keep your room safe and to decrease risk of infection.
• Foods can be heated in the unit microwave oven. Please ask your nurse for assistance.

• If oral intake is being recorded, all food and fluids must be written on the “Fluid Intake Record: Liquids and Solids” paper provided by the nurse. This is called a “calorie count” by the healthcare team.
• Please measure and record outside food and drink items that are consumed by writing household measures (cups, ounces, tablespoons, teaspoons, etc.). Having a record of how much you are eating and drinking helps us know if you are getting enough nutrition and hydration.
• Your nurse will enter your food record in the computer, so it is available to the healthcare team.

We want to make sure you eat foods that help with healing and that follow our food safety guidelines. Please ask your healthcare team if you have any questions about outside foods.