Hospitals in New York are to be banned from selling sugary or fatty foods in cafes and vending machines as part of a new health campaign by mayor Michael Bloomberg.

In recent years, the city's 15 public hospitals have cut calories in patients' meals and restricted the sale of drinks and unhealthy snacks.

But now the city is tackling hospital cafeteria food, too. And the Healthy Hospital Food Initiative is expanding its reach: In the past year, 16 private hospitals have signed on.

Earlier this month, the city moved to ban the sale of large-size soft drinks at fast-food restaurants and cinemas. Critics say the hospital initiative is yet another sign that Mr Bloomberg is running a "nanny state," even though the guidelines are voluntary and other cities - including Boston - have undertaken similar efforts.

Hospitals say it would be hypocritical of them to serve unhealthy food to patients who are often suffering from obesity and other health problems.

"If there's any place that should not allow smoking or try to make you eat healthy, you would think it'd be the hospitals," Mr Bloomberg said. "We're doing what we should do and you'll see, I think, most of the private hospitals go along with it."

The cafeteria crackdown will ban deep fat fryers, make leafy green salads a mandatory option and allow only healthy snacks to be stocked near the cafeteria entrance and at cash registers. At least half of all sandwiches and salads must be made or served with whole grains. Half-size sandwich portions must be available for sale.

"People sometimes right now don't have healthy options," said Christine Curtis, the city Health Department's director of nutrition strategy. "So you are there at two in the morning and maybe your only choice is soda and chips."

Most hospitals have already overhauled their vending machines by allowing only two types of 360 ml high-calorie drinks. Machines have also swapped out most baked goods for snacks like granola bars and nuts.

At privately run Montefiore Medical Centre, which operates several hospitals in the Bronx, changes have been under way for a couple of years.

"We took ice cream out of the cafeterias and began serving more whole grains," said Dr. Andrew Racine, chief medical officer. "We changed white rice to brown rice."