CA Passes Landmark Healthy Beverage Legislation for Restaurants

By Franny Wong
Children’s Council Health & Nutrition Manager

California made history this week by becoming the first state to pass legislation for healthier beverages in restaurants for kids. SB 1192 sets water or milk the default beverage for kids’ meals at all restaurants.

Sugary drinks are responsible for nearly half of the added sugars in kids’ diets overall. Almost half of 2-5 year olds consume at least one sugary drink every day. This has major health implications, as it puts our young ones at risk for diabetes and other chronic diseases.

Here at Children’s Council, we value the health of the community we serve, especially our city’s children. Our Child and Adult Food Program works with early educators to bring high quality food into their child care and preschool programs.

In addition, our Healthy Apple program supports early educators in implementing best practices in nutrition and physical activity for children from birth to age 5.

Water and milk have always been the required beverage for children in child care programs; now families can feel confident that their kids will also receive healthy beverages when they dine out. We applaud California as the leader in this charge to make the healthier choice the easier choice.

Learn more about this landmark legislation.