BATON ROUGE — Ochsner Health expanded its nutritional labeling and discount program into its hospitals and medical facilities after the initiative had been implemented at restaurants across Louisiana. Patients and visitors at Ochsner facilities can now find the orange Eat Fit seal on food sold in cafeterias and vending machines.

The seal also appears at restaurants including Mestizo Mexican, Lit Pizza and Tsunami. Ochsner decided to extend the program into its own facilities after observing its results in the community, where hundreds of thousands of patients visit Ochsner locations every day.

Items marked with the Eat Fit seal are offered at up to half off the regular price. Meals such as chicken teriyaki with a side of green beans typically cost less than $4.

"A lot of patients who would come in would be able to cook and prepare foods at home, but when they went out to eat all their diet plans and health decisions completely went out the window," Ochsner Eat Fit nutrition specialist Allie Foreman said. "Having that as an affordable option while it's also healthier is basically a win-win."

Eat Fit cafeteria sales increased by 75% systemwide within the first six months of the expansion. Purchases of Eat Fit beverages corresponded with a reduction of 3,000 pounds of added sugars in drinks across the system in one quarter, an amount equivalent to about 35,000 cans of soda.

Ochsner is one of the few large health systems in the country with a systemwide nutrition initiative of this kind. The program is designed to make healthy food easy to access within its facilities.

Ochsner is partnering with researchers at Tulane University and Xavier University of Louisiana to study the program over the next three years. The research will evaluate how factors such as pricing, visibility and availability influence food choices, and could serve as a model for other health systems.