On March 30, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Quality & Safety Special Alert Memo (QSSAM) to hospitals and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) providers titled “Hospital Nutrition Service Obligations in Light of Updated Federal Nutrition Guidelines.” In the memorandum, CMS links existing hospital Conditions of Participation (CoPs)—the baseline health and safety requirements that hospitals must meet to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs and receive federal reimbursement—to the recently released Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 (DGAs), and encourages hospitals to use the DGAs to inform hospital nutrition services, menu development and related protocols.
CMS highlights the DGAs’ focus on dietary patterns that limit ultra‑processed foods (UPFs), sugar‑sweetened beverages, refined carbohydrates and added sugars, while prioritizing whole and minimally processed foods.
CMS highlights the DGAs’ focus on dietary patterns that limit ultra‑processed foods (UPFs), sugar‑sweetened beverages, refined carbohydrates and added sugars, while prioritizing whole and minimally processed foods.
