NYC Hospitals to Ban Junk Food From Vending Machines, Cafeteria

Move is part of Mayor Bloomberg's latest health campaign

New York City hospitals will no longer offer sugary and fatty foods in their cafeterias. Following his big soda ban, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is aiming to banish unhealthy foods from both public and private hospitals too. "If there's any place that should not allow smoking or try to make you eat healthy, you would think it'd be the hospitals," Bloomberg said Monday. The sale of sugary drinks and junk food is already restricted at vending machines, but the cafeteria crackdown would additionally ban deep fryers, make leafy green salads a mandatory option and allow only healthy snacks to be stocked near the cafeteria entrance and at cash registers. At least half of all sandwiches and salads must be made or served with whole grains. Half-size sandwich portions must be available for sale. In the past year, 16 private hospitals have signed on. Several believe it would be hypocritical of them to serve unhealthy food to patients who are often suffering from obesity and other health problems. (AP)

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