Critics, Tuesday night, took aim at the city of Longmont’s proposed sugary drink ordinance, saying the rule is a prime example of government overreach.
“This is a parental issue, not a government issue,” resident Greg Harris told the city council during the public invited to be heard portion of the council meeting. “It is great to encourage healthy eating but this is not the responsibility of the city council.”
“I don’t think this is my job or the city council’s job to make an ordinance about this,” added resident Jeffrey Justice.
Council members voted unanimously to move the ordinance for a second reading and formal public hearing Sept. 14. If passed then, the ordinance will become local law.
The ordinance would require Longmont restaurants that serve children’s meals on their menus to offer healthy beverages as the default option. The draft ordinance made healthy beverages including water with no added sugar, or dairy milk or non-dairy milk substitute with no added sugar the default beverage with advertised children’s meals.
Groups including St. Vrain Healthy Kids, Healthy Longmont and Boulder County Public Health sponsored the ordinance saying it would reduce the impact of sugary drinks on childhood obesity, according to a city staff report.
The report points out that the ordinance does not prohibit a restaurant from selling — or a customer’s ability to purchase — any other beverage that is available if requested by whomever buys the children’s meal.
A survey done by Engage Longmont that included restaurant owners and community members found that 54% of community members were not in favor of the ordinance, with some saying parents should be the ones who decide if their children should drink sugary drinks. A total of 297 people responded to the survey, according to the city report.
Five business owners indicated they do support the ordinance while four business owners did not support the measure, according to a city staff report.
