The NHS plans to introduce a tax on high sugar content products sold in hospital vending machines and shops, according to Simon Stevens, NHS England chief executive. The move is designed to discourage staff, patients and visitors from buying high sugar products in an attempt to tackle the ‘national sugar high’ which is increasingly ruining peoples’ health.
The announcement comes as healthy eating brand Slim-Be launches a chewy cereal bar with all green traffic lights – the first and currently the only cereal bar brand in Europe to have this status. Bristol based JW Vending is to trial the cereal bars from February in its vending machines in a number of hospitals the Bristol area.
There is a patent pending on the formulation process of the Slim-Be cereal bar, which will be available from February.
slim beGuy Harris, commercial director at Slim-Be’s UK distributor Worldwide Brands says: “There is great potential in the vending sector for Slim-Be cereal bars. They are particularly suitable for hospitals and healthcare facilities, health and fitness centres, schools and universities or any environment where healthy foods should be readily available, such as organisations following the NICE Diet, Nutrition and Obesity guidelines. We have already had enquiries from vending companies.”
