Baltimore Bans Soda From Kids’ Menus to Curb Childhood Obesit (The Daily Meal)

Tuesday Jul 24th, 2018

In an effort to combat childhood obesity, Baltimore has become the first major U.S. city to ban soda and sugary drinks from kids’ menus in restaurants. The Baltimore City Healthy Kids Meals Bill was signed by Mayor Catherine Pugh in April and went into effect in mid-July. Menus aimed at children in the city can now only include water, non-sweetened flavored or sparkling water, milk, or 100 percent fruit juice, The Baltimore Sun reports.

In a statement, Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen explained the change, saying, “Taking out empty calories from sugary drinks is a powerful lifestyle change we can make to help our children to get and stay healthy. This law will help families make the healthy choice the easy choice.”

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