There is a bill now in front of the House Education Committee that will eliminate certain foods that are considered "junk foods" from lunch rooms and vending machines in South Carolina. The bill would also allow for only water, 100% fruit juice, and fat-free or low-fat milk to be offered in schools. Changing regulations would require the snacks served in the lunch room or in vending machines must not have more than 200 calories, 35% of total calories from fat, 35% of their total weight composed of sugar, or 10% of their total calories from saturated fat. These rules will only apply to events and locations during the school day, and will not be regulated during after school clubs, activities, or fundraisers. The regulation of food and nutrition at fundraisers will be debated in the ...
The thought of a soda tax is nothing new in Vermont. In February 2013, H.B. 234, a bill that would place a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, was re-introduced to the Vermont legislature. Half of the revenue from the proposed tax will fund the Vermont Healthy Weight Initiative Fund, and the second half will fund the State Health Care Resources Fund. The Alliance for a Healthier Vermont was a big supporter of the effort, circulating fact sheets and other resources to the community. On March 22, the Vermont soda tax was narrowly defeated in the state's house ways and means committee. The panel voted 6-5 against a 1-cent per ounce tax on sugar-sweetened ...
Supermarkets and pharmacies are well-positioned in their communities to encourage folks to make healthier food and drink choices. However, some stores continue to promote sugary drinks over healthier options, like water. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) along with other advocacy groups and health professionals are calling on store owners to rethink how they market sugary drinks and to consider giving no and low calorie drink options more prominent shelf space. Little decisions like placing a case of bottled water at the check out line instead of soda is a small but effective way for a store owner to promote better beverage choices in the community. CSPI and others have crafted letters to send to large supermarket and pharmacy stores urging them to consider making ...
On November 26th, 2012, Texas State Representative Carol Alvarado (D-Houston) filed legislation to ban sugary drinks from being sold in public schools. The ban would include soda, sports drinks and similar sugary beverages but would allow schools to sell or distribute 100-percent vegetable or fruit juice, vitamin-enhanced water, water without sweeteners and milk with a fat content of 1 percent or less. Rep. Alvarado introduced similar legislation in 2011, but the bill died early on. Read the full-text of the bill here On June 28, 2013 after being passed by the legislature, the bill was vetoed by Texas Governor Rick ...
CSPI urges advocates to demand better from the country's fast food chains by singing their letter to leading fast-food chains. The letter asks that fast food decision-makers to commit to providing children with healthier meal options at their restaurants by reformulating current menu options to reduce the amount of calories, sodium, saturated fat, and sugars, offering more fruit and vegetable options, making the grains whole grain, and removing soda and other sugary drinks from the children's menu. Want to show your support? Click ...
In November 2012, the city of Richmond, CA voted against measures that would have put a one cent per one ounce business licence fee on sugar-sweetened beverages and use the revenue to fund activities related to reducing childhood obesity. The Richmond soda tax proposal brought a large amount of attention to the idea of taxing sugary drinks. Many public health experts saw this as a silver lining to the defeat in ...
Minority populations of San Mateo County are disproportionately affected by obesity, according to Get Healthy San Mateo County. Get Healthy San Mateo County is a group in California that works collaboratively with individuals, communities, and organizations in the County to develop strategies that will reduce and prevent obesity. The group encourages the San Mateo community to put down the soda and start working towards healthier drink options in schools and neighborhoods. With tons of county health data available on their website, Get Healthy San Mateo County invites everyday people to create healthy changes in their ...
In January 2011, New York Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (D- New York City) introduced H.B. 843 that would impose additional tax of 1/4 of 1% on certain food and sugary drinks, and on video games, commercials, and movies, and create a Childhood Obesity Prevention Fund with the revenues. The bill didn't pass, but Ortiz remains a strong advocate for Latino health issues in New York and across the ...
On January 15, 2013, Texas State Representative Terry Canales (D- Edinburg) introduced a bill that would ban energy drinks from being purchased with SNAP benefits. Energy drinks, full of caffeine and sugar, have been linked to poor health, especially in young ...
