NHS hospitals fuelling obesity crisis with fast food outlets
NHS hospitals are contributing to the growing obesity crisis in by selling unhealthy food and drink, an investigation has found.
Research by The Sunday Telegraph discovered that many hospitals up and down the country are offering high-fat and/sugary foods to visitors, staff and patients through fast food chains, coffee shops, pizzerias, patisseries and bakeries.
For example, the investigation found that 92 branches of Costa Coffee, which was recently criticised for selling fruit drinks with four times the recommended daily sugar limits, currently operate in 71 of the 160 NHS trusts in England, including Leeds Teaching Hospitals trust which has 5 branches alone.
The next most common food outlet with 32 sites is WH Smith, which has also come under fire from health campaigners for promoting heavily discounted chocolates, sweets and crisps.
Hospitals guilty of selling junk food include some of the country’s most renowned such as Addenbrooke’s in Cambridge, which operates a food court with a Burger King, Costa Coffee, Starbucks and pizzeria, and University Hospital Southampton Foundation trust, which also hosts a Burger King and a Costa Coffee shop.
Senior managers at some of the hospitals told The Sunday Telegraph they wanted to close fast food outlets, but were put off by the threat of …read more
Source: News from Diabetes.co.uk