Family-sized chocolate bars and grab bags of sweets are to be banned from shops in NHS hospitals.
Health bosses have warned that NHS trusts will lose access to a new pot of extra funding if they do not remove ‘super-sized’ confectionary from all shops, canteens and vending machines on hospital sites.
They will also impose limits on the number of unhealthy sandwiches and fizzy drinks on sale.
Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, announced 80 per cent of confectionary sold in NHS premises must have less than 250 calories, which is an eighth of a woman’s and a tenth of a man’s recommended daily intake.
Those hospitals which do not comply with the new measures could see their funding restricted
A 120g family bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk has 636 calories.
If they do not meet the new rules hospitals will not be eligible for a new £150million fund designed to improve the health of staff, patients and their visitors.
Each hospital will be given a portion of the fund in 2018/19, depending on the size of the NHS trust, with the biggest hospitals able to get £2million a year.
They can spend the money as they wish, but if they breach the new rules they will get nothing.
The new rules also say 75 per cent of pre-packed sandwiches and savoury meals will be below 400 calories and will not have more than 5 per cent saturated fat.
And 80 per cent of drinks in stock must have less than 5g of sugar per 100ml.
Mr Stevens said: ‘The NHS is now stepping up action to combat the “super-size” snack culture which is causing an epidemic of obesity, preventable diabetes, tooth decay, heart disease and cancer.
‘In place of calorie-laden, sugary snacks we want to make healthier food an easy option for hospital staff, patients and visitors.’
Mr Stevens, who has mounted a crusade against Britain’s obesity crisis since he took over at the helm of the NHS in 2014, has repeatedly criticised the standards of food provided in hospitals.
Last year, describing a visit to a hospital in the West Midlands, he said: ‘It seemed about every 200 yards along the corridor there was another place selling chips.
‘It is no good the NHS taking a stance on health and diet when our hospitals are stuffed full of junk food outlets.’
Mr Stevens has already forced through rules banning price promotions at checkouts on sugary drinks and foods high in fat, sugar or salt.
He has also banned advertisements of junk food on NHS premises.
And in April WH Smith, Marks & Spencer, Greggs, and Subway agreed to cut sales of sugary drinks to 10 per cent or less of their total drinks sales within hospitals.
Large bags of sweets and family sized chocolate bars will no longer be sold under the new hospital rules (not pictured)
Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at Public Health England, said: ‘Hospitals have an important role in addressing obesity – not just treating those suffering the consequences, but helping to prevent it in the first place. Any plans to offer healthier food are a positive step towards tackling the country’s obesity problem.’
Helen Dickens, assistant director of campaigns at Diabetes UK, added: ‘It’s great to see the NHS taking steps to help make it easy as possible for us all to make healthier choices – particularly for those in hospital – and in doing so reduce our risk of Type 2 diabetes, a serious health condition that can lead to devastating and costly amputations such as blindness, amputation and stroke.
‘We look forward to seeing more information on how it will work in practice.
‘However this is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to tackling obesity. We need to go much further, which is why we are also calling for the Government to toughen restrictions on junk food marketing to children, end price promotions on unhealthy foods and introduce mandatory front of pack food labelling.
‘We need to act now for the sake of our nation’s health.’