(Photo by Grant Williamson)

(Photo by Grant Williamson)

Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau on Tuesday introduced legislation that would require D.C. restaurants to make water, milk, or 100 percent fruit juice the default drink option for kids meals. Right now, many chain and fast food restaurants include soda as the default.

“Kids in the U.S. consume 19 teaspoons of added sugar daily, much of it from sugar-sweetened drinks,” Nadeau said in a press release. “This bill helps make the healthy choice the easy choice, while still allowing parents to order their kids soda or other beverages upon request.”

As introduced, the bill allows water, sparkling water, or flavored water with no added sugar; nonfat, one percent milk, or a milk alternative; and 100 percent fruit juice, with no added sweeteners.

“This would mostly affect fast food, fast-casual, and chain restaurants that offer beverages as a part of a kids meal. Many chain restaurants are already moving in this direction,” says Tom Fazzini, a spokesperson for Nadeau’s office, via email.

McDonald’s, Subway, Wendy’s, IHOP, and a few other large chains have already made healthier beverage options the default in their kids meals, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Many other chains, like Chick-fil-A, KFC, Popeye’s, Cracker Barrel, and Whataburger, still make soda the default option.

Black and Latino communities—in D.C. and elsewhere—suffer disproportionately from health effects like obesity and heart disease due to sugar consumption. Researchers have found that companies that sell junk food target their ads to black and Latino youth. Last year, two D.C.-area pastors sued Coca-Cola for what they said was a deceptive marketing campaign that endangered their congregations by promoting misinformation about the health of sugary drinks.

Healthy Beverages for Kids Meals Act of 20182 by Natalie Delgadillo on Scribd

Filed Under: brianne nadeau, d.c. council,