Hospitals are a place of healing. It seems odd for them to have ready access to one of the worst foods you can possibly put in your body – soft drinks.
Thankfully, hospitals are starting to agree. Across the globe, hospitals are trialling ways to reduce sales, while others are banning soft drinks outright. But some, while giving it their best effort, are just not getting it yet…
A total ban.
In 2015, every single District Health Board in New Zealand banned the sales of sugar-sweetened soft drinks in hospitals. Sweet as! (Or, you know, not).
Taking the Kiwis’ lead, 31 health services in Murrumbidgee and 13 in Western Victoria have banned the sales of sugary drinks, including juice!
Westmead Hospital in Sydney recently launched a trial ban of sugar-sweetened drinks, except milk. Juice is still on the menu, but it’s a great start.
Over in the UK, the NHS has also called for sales of all sugary drinks and junk food to banned in hospitals. There are a lot of hoops to jump through before it happens, but watch this space.
Subtle tactics.
Sometimes it’s a nudge that pushes people over the line. Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital tested a gentler approach, hiking up the price of soft drink by 28 per cent, hiding it under the counter and introducing a traffic light system.
Okay, so maybe it’s not the most gentle. But it worked – in one year, sales fell by 36,500. Wow!
Good intent, but needs work.
We welcome any attempts to make public spaces, especially hospitals, healthier. But sometimes, despite their best efforts, they get it a little confused!
Case in point: a draft proposal for NSW health facilities limits foods like full-fat dairy and cheese, but soft drinks and hot chips could still be allowed.
Along with the new NSW canteens guidelines, it sounds like the Government needs a refresher on the current science on fat – and why sugar can be so much more damaging.
Do you think soft drinks should be banned in hospitals?
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