Tameside hospital has eliminated all added sugar from its meals, with cheese and onion pies, apple crumble, high-sugar breakfast cereals and sugary drinks among the many omissions.
The transfer comes following considerations about weight problems amongst NHS workers, and has been welcomed by campaigners.
“This is long overdue and I believe it just takes one hospital to make this move and all the others should follow, and I hope they will,” stated Tam Fry, chair of the National Obesity Forum.
“The Department of Health … seems to be really slow on the uptake and are only just now thinking about banning sugary drinks from hospitals. But it’s sugar in food that is so important. I just think [Tameside’s plan] is excellent and I wish them well.”
The change was carried out following a trial at Tameside hospital through which 100 workers members joined a weight reduction scheme. A complete of 90% stated they consider the most important food-related downside at work was snacking, and by the tip of the 12-week programme nearly all of workers had modified their angle in the direction of meals.
Karen James, chief govt of Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, stated: “My staff work very hard. Long hours and shift patterns often make it very difficult for people to make healthy choices, so they opt for the instant sweet fixes, which until now have been readily available.”
As a part of these new measures, previous high-carb dishes corresponding to pie and chips have been eliminated and changed with more healthy choices corresponding to wild and combined mushroom stroganoff.
The hospital restaurant’s chef, Simon Smith, stated: “These dishes have proved very popular and they are low in carbohydrates and high in protein. What we are trying to promote is better, healthy eating.”
Last 12 months, the NHS proposed plans to ban sugary drinks from hospital merchandising machines to fight rising charges of weight problems and sort 2 diabetes.
Meanwhile, the federal government’s sugar tax will probably be launched this 12 months. The levy will see drink producers fined for complete sugar content material over 5g per 100ml.
