SAN FRANCISCO, CA - San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom??s April directive, which banned calorically sweetened beverages from vending machines on city property, has begun its city-wide implementation, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The ban includes non-diet sodas, sports drinks and artificially sweetened waters. In fact, juices must be 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice with no added sweeteners, while diet sodas cannot exceed 25 percent of the offerings. And there should be "ample choices" of water, "soy milk, rice milk, and other similar dairy or non-dairy milk," according to the directive, which also addresses fat and sugar content in vending machine snacks.

The move is part of the mayor??s effort to improve the health of San Franciscans and combat obesity.

"There's a direct link between what people eat and drink and the obesity and health care crises in this country," Newsom spokesman Tony Winnicker said. "It's entirely appropriate and not at all intrusive for city government to take steps to discourage the sale of sugary sodas on city property."

Bob Achermann, executive director of the California/Nevada Soft Drink Association industry group, said that while he hasn't received complaints about San Francisco's strict vending machine rules, "it certainly sounds a bit proscriptive."

"This is all about choice. There is probably nothing more personal than what you drink and eat," Achermann said. "Singling out beverages in this whole equation of how to fight obesity is not going to be the answer."

As for vending machine offerings, the mayor??s order exempts machines that are part of already negotiated contracts, directing only new contracts to conform to the new standards.

For Chong Park, who has managed a cafe in the basement of City Hall and whose lease is up for renewal, her vending machines must adopt a revised beverage selection. She says she earns less than $100 a month on her take from the two Coke machines in her cafe, and fears that a revised lineup will cut into that already modest sum, especially as 100 percent juice is much more expensive than soda.

And vending machine selections may be just the start for Newsom as he aims to restrict soda consumption. Last year, he considered imposing a fee on retailers who sell soda.