Massachusetts hospital starts weekly snack bar

WESTFIELD, Mass. — Noble Hospital is giving its employees a new kind of sugar rush to battle the mid-afternoon doldrums with a snack bar that provides alternatives to soda and candy machines.

Chef Christopher Smith, in collaboration with Morrison Health Care and Partnership for a Healthy America, has launched a weekly snack bar featuring fun and healthy food items that change each week.

The snack bar debuted in the hospital cafeteria this summer with warm cookies and milk and is quickly becoming the popular go-to spot for staff to satisfy cravings and give a boost of energy. Every Wednesday from 2 until 4 p.m. employees can find a tasty new offering.

At first, Smith said, the new service got off to a slow start, but the staff quickly learned of the snack bar and has responded favorably while at the same time discovering the overall healthy changes that are shaping the hospital cafeteria.

“We’ve had a good response to the healthy changes,” he said. “It’s bringing more foot traffic through the cafeteria, and now people are noticing the grill and fresh salads and fruit.”