Connecticut’s new bill could ban soda from children’s menus

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Photo taken my Johana Brower.

Connecticut is going to propose a bill to ban soda off the children’s menu along with other sugary drinks.

Johana Brower, Staff Writer

There is a new potential CT house bill, No.7006, which would restrict restaurants from including soft drinks, chocolate milk and juice beverages on children’s menus in the state.

The rise of obesity in the U.S.  has nearly tripled in children over the past 30 years and much of that has to do with the cost of healthy food, genetic health problems and lack of physical exercise. As technology has improved, children have many other choices of what to do in their free time rather than playing a sport. As the lack of physical exercise increases, corporations become smarter with advertising and hook children with their false advertisements of “healthy food.”

CT restaurants would be allowed to serve only water, sparkling water, flavored water with no added sweeteners, unflavored milk or a non-dairy alternative. Children who start out at an unhealthy weight have a decreased chance of getting healthy in the future. Instead of trying to be more healthy, they give up and say it is too hard. Bill No.7006 would affect all restaurants in CT who identify as “an entity, other than a grocery store, that is licensed, permitted, registered or inspected as a food service establishment by a local health department or district health department.”

It is possible that children could just beg their parents for soda and parents could order it for them, but we would hope that Americans are better than that. The U.S. should realize that obesity rates are alarmingly high and they should try to help their children be more healthy.

If the bill passed, it would be introduced by The Committee on Children, on July 1, 2019. A couple other states like CA and MD have both issued similar regulations concerning health epidemic. The U.S. hopes to address this serious issue and better the health of future generations.