For Neil Lavender, executive director of Food and Nutrition Services at JPS Health Network, the future of healthcare foodservice is exciting because the industry is increasingly recognized as an essential part of the patient experience. “Nutrition is important, food is essential, it matters, and what patients get to eat matters,” says Lavender, who also serves as president of the Association for Healthcare Food Service (AHF). Lavender is attending The NAFEM Show for the first time this February. He is looking for new brands, technology and solutions that help his team work more efficiently and improve the patient experience. “I have found that there is no substitute for seeing these things in action,” he says. He is especially interested in technology that is “easier to use” and “more simplified for our team so that they can move about quickly in their task.”

See what is next for healthcare and senior living foodservice at The NAFEM Show, Feb. 11–13, 2027. Register today.