Mental Health

Bloomberg Bans Junk-Food From Hospital Cafeterias and Vending Machines

By S.C. Stringfellow | Update Date: Sep 25, 2012 10:57 AM EDT

With New York mayor Micheal Bloomberg in full rampage over getting the city smoke and junk-food free, hospital vending machines and cafeterias will no longer be able to serve sugary snacks or fatty foods to anxious patient visitors, according to a recent report released by the campaign.

While in recent years hospitals have been obligated to serve patients low-calorie meals and have limited the sale of sugary drinks and foods in vending machines, Bloomberg's 'Healthy Hospital Initiative' is attempting to tackle hospital cafeterias, recruiting both private and public hospitals to help in the fight against obesity, weight gain, and/or curves in general.

The Associated Press reports that despite being under fire for giving the 'city that doesn't Sleep' a curfew and by running what has come to be known as a "nanny state," Bloomberg responds to critics that it would be hypocritical of hospitals to serve high caloric and fatty meals to patients and family members already suffering or being treated for diabetes and other obesity related health problems.

"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 in a statement to the press. "We're doing what we should do and you'll see, I think, most of the private hospitals go along with it."

AP reports, "The cafeteria crackdown will 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."

Vending machines will no longer offer candy bars or fried/kettle cooked potato, but will instead offer things such as trail mix, fruit snacks and gronola bars.

Despite the mayor's good intentions, many people are beginning to feel that the mayor is going too far in his efforts to control obesity and that providing sanctions and laws against what people can and cannot eat is a step beyond what any municipal or federal government should be allowed to do.

"I'm allergic to nuts, and grains" said Charol Summers, the sister of a patient suffering from an asthma attack at Albert Einstein Hospital, when asked about how she feels about the ban. "I wouldn't be able to eat any of the stuff in the vending machine or cafeterias and so what am I supposed to do? Its just not fair."

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