Duluth hospital becomes first in Minn. to ban sales of sugary beverages

Administrators at St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth have decided to stop selling sugary drinks at its main campus and all of its clinics. The director of hospitality told the News Tribune, “What we’re learning from data that’s out there is that sugar-sweetened beverages are a significant contributor to obesity." St. Luke's is reportedly the first hospital in Minnesota to ban the beverages. The hospital will offer diet sodas, flavored water and juices with no added sugar.

Author:: BMTN Staff
Publish date:: Oct 10, 2012

Administrators at St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth have decided to stop selling sugary drinks at its main campus and all of its clinics. The director of hospitality told the News Tribune, “What we’re learning from data that’s out there is that sugar-sweetened beverages are a significant contributor to obesity." St. Luke's is reportedly the first hospital in Minnesota to ban the beverages. The hospital will offer diet sodas, flavored water and juices with no added sugar.

Last month, a Mayo Clinic expert applauded New York City's ban on large-sodas. “Regular soda is a triple whammy, so to speak. It’s extra calories, there’s no nutritional value at all, and it may displace other foods that are healthier,” Dr. Donald Hensrud, a Mayo endocrinologist and obesity expert, said.

DONTCHA KNOW?

BMTN Newsletters Deliver The Biggest MN Stories

Get Our Newsletter

church fire Norwood Young America

The 160-year-old church was completely destroyed.

flickr-police-tape-webster

Multiple shots were heard on Sunday evening.

Sheldon Richardson, Vikings, Seahawks

Minnesota can really do some damage in the playoff race with a win Monday night.

Screen Shot 2018-12-09 at 6.00.49 PM

It died at the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center.

Copenhagen

There are deals to be had if you travel between April and mid-June.

Screen Shot 2018-11-08 at 10.07.25 AM

The unique made-to-order donut shop opened its doors in Woodbury on Saturday.

Target Store mozart

The retailer was accused of dumping hazardous materials in landfills.

Thin ice

Another reminder that ice this time of year varies over short distances.

Package theft north mpls

The two are believed to have stolen a number of packages in the area.

Harv Graczyk

He's coached hockey in Minnesota for four decades.

Rashad Cheney

Rashad Cheney Jr. picked the Gophers on Saturday night.

stearns county deputy accident

The deputy was attempting to make a traffic stop at the time.

Rochester-based Mayo Clinic earned the No. 3 spot on U.S. News & World Report's elite list of “Best Hospitals." The University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis; Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis; St. Cloud Hospital and United Hospital in St. Paul were also among the five Minnesota hospitals to receive national rankings.

An obesity expert at Mayo Clinic has gotten behind New York City's controversial new ban on sugary beverages in containers bigger than 16 ounces, the Rochester Post-Bulletin reports. “Understandably, people don’t like being told what to eat, but a limit like that isn’t unreasonable,” Dr. Donald Hensrud, a Mayo endocrinologist, says.

The City Council in Duluth has snuffed out smoking at popular tourist spots: the Lakewalk, Lake Place and Leif Erikson Park, banning the use of tobacco – and synthetic marijuana or “bath salts” – within 6 feet of the paths and the park. The measure was prompted by complaints about smoke, littering, and issues with patrons of The Last Place on Earth, a downtown head shop.

Jessica Danielson, 30, is recovering from a very rare double organ transplant at Mayo Clinic. After more than six months of waiting, she received a new heart and liver on Monday. Doctors at Mayo told KARE 11 her lifesaving heart-liver transplant is only seen at the hospital about twice a year.

It appears an aggressive tourism campaign after the devastating June floods in northeastern Minnesota helped boost tourism in Duluth. The News Tribune reports tourism tax receipts show a 10 percent surge in local hotel and motel revenues in July compared with the same month last year. Figures for August and September are still being calculated.