Mars Bars Out, Yoghurts In: What Mater Dei’s Public Canteens Look Like After Health Drive
Mars Bars Out, Yoghurts In: What Mater Dei’s Public Canteens Look Like After Health Drive
‘Hospital canteen used to sell cigarettes when I was a student,’ Health Minister Chris Fearne defended the ban by saying
Mater Dei has just passed through something of a culinary revolution. In an attempt to promote healthy eating, the hospital has banned the sale of several fatty and sugary foods and drinks from its premises, forcing its staff to either go on a healthier diet or bring the unhealthier items into the building with them.
The food section at the 8 Till Late outlet by reception has undergone a significant revamp. The only soft drinks for sale are the diet and ‘zero’ varieties, although Monster energy drinks have strangely made the cut.
Twistees, biscuits and other sugary and fatty items have been pulled from the confectionary and have been replaced by snacks such as quinoa corn puffs, lentil chips, rice cakes and sugar-free biscuits.
Chocolates and sweets have been completely wiped out and have been replaced by flapjacks, cereal bars and oat snacks. However, cigarette lighters are still available for sale.
The public canteen has remained something of a haven for people seeking comfort food and has maintained items such as baguettes, timpana, rice balls and pizzas. However, fast food like pastizzi and qassatat can no longer be found and the fridges are packed with healthy items like yoghurts, fruit salads and Aloe vera drinks.
Several doctors, nurses and hospital staff have expressed outrage at Mater Dei’s decision to stop providing unhealthy foodstuffs, while the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) has threatened to issue directives if the hospital doesn’t reverse its decision.
However, Health Minister Chris Fearne defended Mater Dei’s decision, drawing parallels to when the canteen at St Luke’s, the old national hospital, used to sell cigarettes.
“When I was a medical student, myself and other students felt we had to pressure the government to ban the sale of cigarettes from the hospital canteen so as to send a signal in favour of health,” he said.
“Mater Dei’s management have now felt they also needed to send a signal that sugary products are unhealthy. It doesn’t mean that staff and patients aren’t allowed to take them but that the hospital is sending a sign that these items, just as cigarettes, aren’t good for your health.”
What do you make of Mater Dei’s health drive?
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