Hospitals will start charging more for high-sugar drinks and snacks in their cafes and vending machines by 2020 to discourage staff, patients and visitors from buying them.
Stevens said: “We will be consulting on introducing an NHS sugar tax on various beverages and other sugar-added foods across the NHS which would be enforced over time as contracts for food catering and the shops that are in the foyers of hospitals come up for renewal over the next three to five years over a rolling basis.”
The NHS will use the proceeds from the sugar tax, which are expected to reach between £20m and £40m, to improve the health of its own 1.3 million workers.
Last week, the House of Lords discussed the introduction of a sugar tax, and City Hall announced it is introducing a ten pence charge on all added-sugar soft drinks sold in its café. Read more below.