Healthier food possible in hospital cafeteria, if customers buy it
16.06.2008 20:01
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
Getting rid of junk food in the Saint John hospital would require careful planning to ensure the cafeteria breaks even financially, says an official. The Atlantic Health Sciences Corp. likes the idea of banning junk food from its cafeterias, but customers would need to buy into the idea for it to be financially viable, said Joni Donahue, spokeswoman for nutrition and food services. "We should be promoting health, but again, it's going to be extremely difficult because people like choice," Donahue said. The hospital has previously considered eliminating junk food, which would include getting rid of chips, doughnuts and french fries. But a survey found customers didn't want the cafeteria to get rid of its deep fryers or limit the food choices, Donahue said. "To eliminate all of your choices they would consider as the good choices is going to be extremely difficult, not only product-wise but also financially," Donahue said. The health authority in the Saint John area is currently looking at renovating its cafeterias, and now would be a good time to adopt healthier choices, she said. "We know there has to be a change," Donahue said. "We're looking forward to making the change actually, but there needs to be a lot of education … and it'll have to be a collaborative plan in which our customers also take part, not just physicians and ourselves, but our customers." Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKHealth HeadlinesCoffee drinking not harmful and may help against heart disease: studyDrinking copious amounts of coffee is not harmful to your health, and particularly if you're a woman, may actually protect you from heart disease, new research suggests.Test misses 2 out of 3 pre-diabetic kids: Canadian studyKids at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes may not be getting the news soon enough because the test used to gauge their condition is not sensitive enough, says a new study.Sanofi to give 60 million doses of bird flu vaccine to WHO pandemic stockpileVaccine giant Sanofi Pasteur is donating 60 million doses of H5N1 avian flu vaccine over the next three years to a World Health Organization pandemic stockpile, the company announced. Though no West Nile cases to date, precautions should be taken: microbiologistThough Canada's West Nile season has yet to begin, it's never too early to take precautions, says a microbiologist with the Public Health Agency of Canada.2 more Winnipeg doctors resign in dispute over elderly man's treatmentThree doctors have now resigned from duty at a Winnipeg hospital rather than obey a court order to continue treating an elderly man on life support. Health FeaturesHealthVitamin DBoning up on the sunshine vitaminCONSUMERCalorie trackerHEALTH & FITNESSPeter HadzipetrosFit to be downtownCANADA ABROADHospital of hopeVIDEORunner's heartEndurance sports and the human heart (2:53)People who read this also read …
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