Sugary drink sales to be slashed at hospital
THE number of sugary drinks sold at Halton Hospital is to be reduced in an NHS drive aimed at cutting the ‘devastating impact’ caused by the ingredient.
NHS England has written to Warrington And Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WHH) to commit to reduce transactions involving sugar-sweetened beverages to 10% of sales by March 2018.
The national body has warned that if medical premises do not slash the supply of sugary drinks to customers in the next 12 months then selling them will be banned.
WHH told the Weekly ● News it has committed to the proposal.
Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS England national medical director, and Dr Kathy McLean, NHS Improvement executive medical director, had written to the trust asking it to con- firm its commitment by July 31.
NHS England has asked hospitals to provide siteby-site quarterly data updates from October under the ‘voluntary scheme’.
The health service web- site has warned that eating too much sugar causes tooth decay and weight gain and in turn heart disease and diabetes.
Mr Keogh and Dr McLean said commitments have already been secured with Marks & Spencer, Subway, Royal Voluntary Service, WH Smiths, ISS, Greggs and Compass.
In their letter to WHH, they said: “Last November, NHS England launched a public consultation on proposals to reduce the sales of sugarsweetened beverages (SSBs) on NHS premises and take action on the devastating impact the country’s sweet tooth has on public health.
“In light of what we learned through the consultation, NHS England has announced that the sale of SSBs will be banned in shops on all NHS premises from July 2018 unless suppliers voluntarily take decisive action to cut their sales over the coming 12 months.”