Davis Requires All Restaurants to Offer Milk, Water as First Choice in Kids' Meals

In what it's calling an effort to encourage healthier options for children,  Davis will require all restaurants in the city to offer milk or water as the first choice for all children's meals.

An ordinance was passed by the City Council unanimously on Tuesday night, the Sacramento Bee reports. Parents can still order soda for their children, but they must specifically request it.

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The rule will go into effect on September 1, giving restaurants enough time to notify staff and implement healthy beverage options if they don’t already do so, said Julie Gallelo, executive director of First 5 Yolo, a non-profit organization that pushed for the ordinance starting last fall.

The ordinance will affect about 18 restaurants in the city, including both fast food establishments – Taco Bell, Carl’s Jr. and Round Table Pizza – and some local bistros and pubs.

The new ordinance applies to "a restaurant that sells a children's meal that includes a beverage."  The default beverage must now be milk or water.

Harold Goldstein, executive director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy -- a longtime foe of sugary drinks -- called the City Council's action "a bold move."

"Parents will now have to ask for soda specifically if they want to serve their children liquid candy instead of a healthy beverage," he said in a statement. "Studies have shown that parents will stick with the healthier option."

A spokeswoman for CalBev, the trade association for soda and other non-alcoholic beverages companies in California, said the group had no comment on the new ordinance.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a national advocacy group, also praised the move and said that many large restaurant chains have already taken soda off kids' menus. These companies include: McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Dairy Queen, Panera, Subway and Chipotle.