Endorsement of Healthy Drinks in Kids’ Meal strategy
November 29, 2023
The Blueprint’s State Policy Committee recently voted to endorse the Healthy Drinks in Kid’s Meal strategy, expressing support for the recommendation to ensure the automatic beverage that comes with a kids’ meal is a healthy one. By changing what’s on the menu, we’re sending a message to kids and families that eating healthy matters. Making healthy beverages the standard offering on a menu gives parents the choice to determine what option is best for their children.
The Healthy Beverage Partnership is a collaborative effort of local public health agencies and community partners to reduce the prevalence of chronic diseases and address health inequities by supporting municipal-level sugary drink reduction policies across Colorado. Sugary beverages are the single largest source of calories and added sugar in the U.S. diet and lead to many dietary-related chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, cavities, cancer, and more.
The Partnership’s primary objectives are to: 1) decrease deceptive sugary drink marketing in public spaces and restaurants, 2) decrease targeted availability of harmful sugary drinks to children, especially children of color, and 3) improve healthy norms and options for all families. They’re currently focused on strategies to ensure that the standard beverage provided with a children’s meal at restaurants is a healthy option (water or unflavored milk), which will help to eliminate the marketing of unhealthy beverages to children in restaurants. They have successfully passed three local ordinances in Lafayette, Golden, and Longmont since 2018. Active policy campaigns are underway within the cities of Denver and Louisville.
The Healthy Beverage Partnership is funded through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment‘s Cancer, Cardiovascular, and Pulmonary Disease grants program. For more information, please contact Mandy Feeks.