*Major health orgs applaud NSW Health kicking the sugar habit *

An alliance of Australia’s leading health and community organisations has congratulated NSW Health for announcing it will phase out sugary drinks from all of its facilities in the next six months as part of its Healthy Choices in Health Facilities policy. CEO of Diabetes Australia, Greg Johnson said it was important for health facilities to lead by example and provide healthier options for patients, staff and visitors.

“There is absolutely no nutritional benefit in drinking sugary drinks, in fact it is the opposite – there is a strong link between consuming these drinks and weight gain, which leads to chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers as well as dental problems,” Mr Johnson said.

“In Australia the direct cost of obesity to the healthcare system is $3.8 billion . It doesn’t make sense to be treating people in the same facilities where we are selling items that could have contributed to their health conditions in the first place.

“We would encourage all other state and territories to follow NSW’s lead; we know there is great appetite for this type of initiative at all levels of government.”

Next week the Rethink Sugary Drink alliance is hosting a sell-out event for local councils to learn more about tackling sugary drink consumption and availability in their communities.

The forum, Sugar Hit – Ideas for your municipal health and well-being plan, is being held on Tuesday 13th June at Cancer Council Victoria. For details and to register, visit https://t.co/UZ0sNdDfGO

About Rethink Sugary Drink: Rethink Sugary Drink is a partnership between the Australian Dental Association, Cancer Council Australia, Dental Health Services Victoria, Dental Hygienists Association of Australia, Diabetes Australia, Heart Foundation, Kidney Health Australia, Nutrition Australia, Obesity Policy Coalition, Stroke Foundation, Parents’ Voice, LiveLighter, Healthier Workplace WA and the YMCA to raise awareness of the amount of sugar in sugar-sweetened beverages and encourage Australians to reduce their consumption.