More on the Soda Ban in Schools

Filed in archive News , Trends on May 3, 2006

Major beverage distributors and anti-obesity advocates have agreed not to sell non-diet sodas in schools across the nation. Cadbury Schweppes PLC, Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo Inc. and the American Beverage Association are working on a joint initiative with the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association to limit the availability of beverages that contribute to obesity in school-age children. In addition, the agreement stipulates that only water, juice and low-fat milks will be sold to elementary and middle schools.

From the Washington Post Sugary Drinks To Be Pulled From Schools:

The agreement sets different rules for elementary schools, middle schools and high schools and comes at a time when the beverage industry is under increasing pressure to limit sales of its least healthful products in schools.

Drinks in elementary schools will be limited to eight-ounce containers, in middle schools to 10-ounce containers and 12-ounces in high schools.

Moreover, not only school cafeterias and vending machines will be affected. School activities such as sporting events and fund-raisers are also subjected to the new restrictions for as long as they go through distributors to purchase soda.

Going to the distributors - very good strategy on the part of the advocates! It can be recalled that much of the soda bans of the different school districts had loopholes that would have allowed the entry of sugary, carbonated drinks under many guises.

Also on Non-Diet Sodas Won't Be Sold to Schools, from the Associated Press through Yahoo! News.