Proposed bill would ban sugary drinks from kids’ menus

Connecticut’s House Bill No. 7006 would restrict restaurants from including soft drinks, chocolate milk and juice beverages on children’s menus in the state. (iStock)

A proposed bill would completely remove sugary beverages from children’s menus and prohibit them from being served in children’s meals.

Connecticut’s House Bill No. 7006 would restrict restaurants from including soft drinks, chocolate milk and juice beverages on children’s menus in the state. Instead, restaurants would only be allowed to offer “water, sparkling water, flavored water with no added sweeteners, unflavored milk or a nondairy milk alternative.”

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Sugary soft drinks have been tied to the rise in obesity in preschoolers – a problem that can hinder their likelihood for a healthy lifestyle in the future, Adam Becker executive director of the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children said to the Chicago Tribune.

“For kids who start at unhealthy weights, the likelihood of getting to a healthy weight is slim,” Becker said.

The bill would affect all restaurants in the state, which are identified as "any entity, other than a grocery store, that is licensed, permitted, registered or inspected as a food service establishment by a local health department or district health department."

However, the bill does state that customers are allowed to purchase sugary beverages from the adult menu if desired.

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“Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit a restaurant from selling or a customer from purchasing a beverage that does not appear on a children’s menu if such beverage is requested by the customer,” it states.

If passed, the bill, which was introduced by the Committee on Children, would go into effect July 1, 2019.

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Connecticut is not the only state moving to ban unhealthy beverages from children’s menus. California and Maryland have both issued bills with similar regulations.