This study analysed Australian hospital retail policies aimed at encouraging consumption of healthy foods and drinks.

It found that all Australian jurisdictions, except Tasmania, have implemented specific healthy retail policies in public hospital settings. Similarities in policies include the policy scope, use of a traffic light system to classify the nutritional healthiness of food and beverages for sale, and the standards used to determine the mix of healthy and unhealthy food availability. However, there is limited evaluation of policy impacts on purchase and/or consumption behaviours.

Twenty of 27 studies identified via a scoping literature review examined interventions similar to the Australian policies and showed that these policies could result in increased purchase of healthier products among staff and visitors. Key implementation success factors include strong support for the policy from all stakeholders, practical implementation support resources, and impacts on retailer profitability.

The authors concluded that the healthy hospital retail policies implemented across Australian jurisdictions could encourage healthier food and beverage purchases among staff and visitors. However, evaluation of the policies could facilitate further refinement to enhance effectiveness and translation of learnings to international contexts.