M&S drinks ‘too healthy’ for the NHS

♦ NHS bosses complained when Marks & Spencer tried to make its drinks more healthy in its in-hospital shops, a senior executive has revealed.

Claire Hughes, head of nutrition at the retailer, said a decision to withdraw fizzy and other sugarsweetened drinks from hospital stores had an unexpected result.

Ms Hughes told the Public Health England conference: “We had quite a lot of negative feedback, from some of the NHS Trusts, from some customers saying we’ve taken away their choice, and from some dieticians, which I was quite surprised about. But we’ve persevered with it and we’ve kept that.”

The shopping retailer also cut off promotions for foods high in fat, salt and sugar in the 28 hospital outlets.