CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Lightfoot Administration wants to make sure sugary soft drinks are not the first choice for a beverage when Chicago eateries serve kids’ meals.
Mayor Lightfoot and health officials have introduced an ordinance that would require that restaurants that serve children’s meals could not make sugary drinks an automatic inclusion.
"We want to do everything we can - everybody knows it, we've got serious issues with childhood obesity and we are concerned about that, and I think the Department of Public Health have taken all the right steps. Dr. Arwady and her team will testify about it when the hearing is held in January, but this is an appropriate step for us to take," Lightfoot said.
She wants healthier options like water, milk, or fruits and vegetable juices to be offered first.
"What's happening, and I think the concern that public health [CDPH] had is that those meals, those kids' meals were reflexively being given really high caloric, very high sugary drinks, like sodas, that we would drink, slurpee-type drinks," Lightfoot said.
It’s important to note that the ordinance said parents could request sodas, slushies, and such as substitutes, so consumer choice is not taken away.
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