UW Health Announces It Will No Longer Sell Sugary Beverages

UW Health rolled out a major change on Thursday at its facilities, announcing that it would end the sale of sugary beverages with the hope of encouraging healthier choices for patients, visitors and staff.

UW Health will become the second health care provider in the state to end the sale of sugary beverages, after Baldwin Area Medical Center in western Wisconsin announced it would phase out items like regular soda, sweetened tea and energy drinks earlier this year.

Amy Mihm, a registered dietitian at UW Health, said the organization has been discussing the change for about three years, but decided now was time to follow what she described as a “nationwide trend.”

“I think there’s more and more of a call for a public health intervention, really, in an effort to model best practices when it comes to caring for yourself and preserving your health,” said Mihm.

Sugar-sweetened drinks aren’t the only thing UW Health is taking off the menu: It’s also getting rid of their deep fryers. Items that would once have been fried will now be baked in new ovens.

Kelly McDowell, the executive secretary for the Wisconsin Beverage Association, said the beverage industry in Wisconsin has been doing a lot of work on “healthy choice” initiatives in recent years, including removing non-diet sodas from schools. She said that the UW’s decision won’t affect beverage sales, because members have a lot of non-sugary beverages to sell, too.

“It’s all about innovation and consumers wanting more low- and no-calorie options and smaller portion sizes,” said McDowell. “So, that’s reflective of that consumer trend, and certainly the industry can provide a wide array of beverage products.”

Amy Mihm said the changes should be in effect at UW Hospital and Clinics, the Medical Foundation and the American Family Children’s Hospital by the end of the year.