Sweets, salty snacks, cured meat products and soft drinks have been banned from cafeterias and bars at public hospitals and healthcare centers.

The order was published in the Official Gazette on December 28 last year, signed by the Assistant Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Health, Fernando Araújo, and determines that all these types of products must stop being sold at these locations by 30 June 2018.

According to the same order, all future contracts for the concession of this type of facilities must also ban the advertising or sale of fast-food meals.

The new contracts must also exclude the sale of chocolates in packages that exceed 50 g, chocolate bars with filling, alcoholic beverages and sauces, such as ketchup, mayonnaise or mustard. On the other hand, the government mentions that free drinking water and bottled water must be made available. But only this type of water, as flavored waters, as well as infusions or energy drinks, are also excluded from the available options.

There is also a list of food products that should be given preference, such as plain semi-skimmed/skimmed milk, reduced-/low-fat yogurt, ripened or cottage cheese and cream cheese, bread, preferably mixed grain bread with whole flour and less than 1 g of salt per 100 g, natural fruit and/or vegetable juices with at least 50% of fruit and/or vegetables and individual pieces of fruit.

The objective of the measures contained in the order is to “disseminate and foster healthier food choices, promoting an increase in the levels of food and nutritional literacy among the population that uses the catering facilities provided by the NHS, namely health professionals, patients and their caregivers”.

Following a series of measures included in the State Budget for 2017, such as restrictions on the sales of certain types of sweets in vending machines installed in public healthcare facilities, and the additional taxation of sugary drinks, the government is now reinforcing its strategy to promote healthy eating habits, by standardizing everyone’s diets.

As of this month, sugar packets available at cafes and restaurants are limited to 5-6g, yet another measure to reduce the intake of energy, sugar and nutritionally poor food products.

The tax on sugary drinks allowed the Portuguese population to reduce the intake of sugar by approximately 5,500 tons in a single year. In addition, the Government collected 80 million euros, which were directly used to pay the debts of the National Health Service (SNS).

In 2018, the Ministry of Health intends to reach an agreement with the agrifood industry to negotiate the reformulation of several products.

These warning and preventive measures are not only being applied in Portugal. To draw consumers’ attention to products that are commonly thought to be sugar-free, Spanish photographer Antonio Rodríguez Estrada has developed the Sin Azúcar (No Sugar) campaign, a project that aims at recreating large commercial campaigns and present sugar as the sweetest enemy in the world.

Image credits: Antonio Rodríguez Estrada