When my father was in the hospital and had a hard time eating, they told us we couldn't bring in anything and he could only eat food from inside the hospital. I asked his lead doctor if he had any special nutritional needs, and he said no, he just needed to eat anything he could get down. But when we asked if we could bring anything in, they said we had to talk to the nurses and see if it was allowed. I checked with a friend of mine who had privileges at the hospital. He got back to me and said the outside food ban was normal, but enforcing it wasn't. The hospital had a hospitality and vending machine contract that required them to train all the staff in being firm, explicit, and proactive about the no outside food policy.

Of course the vending machine was full of junk food, and the contract was with the same company that controlled the pharmacy. These people need to be put out of business.