UK hospitals have removed 10 million teaspoons of sugar - equivalent to 1.1 million cans of soft drink - from national health service canteens, shops and vending machines.
Last year NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens challenged hospital trusts to reduce the sale of sugary drinks to 10 per cent or less of drinks bought on hospital premises.
The health body said 87 per cent of trusts took up the voluntary challenge and the proportion of drinks with added sugar sold on NHS premises has reduced from 15.6 per cent to 8.7 per cent.
This equates to roughly 39,000 kilograms of sugar and more than 160 million fewer calories.
NHS England last year threatened to ban sugary drinks if trusts failed to take action, at a time when more than a third had still not joined the scheme.
It is proposing to make the measure mandatory from April 2019, subject to consultation.
"The NHS is now putting its own house in order in the fight against flab - with the vast majority of hospitals answering the call to action," Stevens said.
"Obesity is one of the biggest long term challenges facing us as the NHS enters its eighth decade, so action now will avoid storing up a long list of preventable and expensive health problems for the years ahead."
Some 14 national suppliers, including Boots, WH Smith, Marks & Spencer and Greggs have signed up to the voluntary scheme along with 201 of 232 trusts.
Australian Associated Press
