Gosford and Wyong Hospitals, along with other Central Coast Local Health District facilities, will be updating their menus to provide healthier options across the region.
The move comes after Dr Kerry Chant, NSW Health Chief Health Officer of the new Healthy Choices in Health Facilities policy framework, announced that NSW will be the first state in Australia to remove sugary drinks from health facilities.
District Director of Health Promotion and Population Health Improvement, Ms Nicole Kajons, said the initial move to remove sugary drinks with no nutritional value is a step in the right direction.
“The Central Coast tends to have higher rates of overweight and obesity in adults than the rest of NSW, and the District is committed to providing healthier choices that do not contribute further to this issue.
“It’s also about looking to the future, we want to foster environments where our children and young people can enjoy healthier food and drink options in our community,” said Mrs Kajons.
According to the Australian National Preventive Health Agency, Australia is one of the top ten countries for per capita consumption of sugary drinks, with 1.6 billion litres of soft drink sold in Australia in 2011.
This significantly contributes to overweight and obesity and increases the risk of diabetes and other chronic diseases.
Source:
Media release, Jun 8
Casey Virgin, Central Coast Local Health District