Longmont City Council Votes to Require Promotions of Healthy Drinks on Kids’ Menus

On Tuesday (Sept. 14), the Longmont City Council approved the Healthy Drinks in Children's Meals Ordinance, a measure that will require the promotion of healthy drinks on kids' menus at restaurants in the city.

According to a press release from Boulder County Public Health (BCPH), healthy drinks are defined as water and milk. However, this doesn't mean that your child can't order other beverages — just that they'll be less likely to.

"Sugary drinks are a major factor that contribute to obesity and chronic disease," said Camille Rodriguez, Executive Director of BCPH, in the release. "Efforts like this one help reduce the amount of sugary drinks our children drink by providing parents with healthy options as the default."

Get our free mobile app

The release reports that the ordinance, which was headed by the Healthy Longmont coalition, has the support of national health groups like the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association.

It also has the support of local business owners, like Healthy Longmont coalition member Sean Gafner, who stopped putting sugary drinks on his restaurants' kids' menus a few years back.

"We simply only listed water and milk with our kids' meals. We haven't had any negative feedback," he said. "Our core values state that we want to be leaders in Longmont; we want to be part of a city that thrives economically, emotionally, and physically."

Aside from community support, the ordinance is also backed by data. According to the release, children who have at least one sugary drink a day are more likely to die from a heart attack in adulthood than children who do not.