Calif. Passes Bill Nixing Soda From Kids’ Meals

While parents can still order soft drinks with a kids’ meal, the default drinks will be water or unflavored milk.

August 24, 2018

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California legislators okayed a bill that would make water and unflavored milk the default beverages in children’s meals, Marketing Daily reports. Gov. Jerry Brown has indicated he would sign the measure.

Parents still will be able to order soft drinks with a kid’s meal. Burger King and Wendy’s already made the change in 2015, and McDonald’s doesn’t promote soda with Happy Meals or feature soft drinks on the menu board next to its Happy Meal selections.

The change comes as more California localities—including San Francisco—approve measures to make kids’ meals healthier. Baltimore; Lafayette, Colo.; and Louisville, Ky., have passed similar bills, while Hawaii, Vermont and New York City are debating comparable legislation.

Last month, California banned any new taxes on soft drinks from being enacted by municipalities for a dozen years. The new law won’t affect localities that already have soda taxes in place. As NACS Daily reported recently, beverage industry officials believe that they can work jointly with health advocates and the state government to help reduce sugar consumption, while protecting consumers’ finances and small businesses.

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