PUEBLO, Colo. (KOAA) — The Pueblo City Council voted 4-3 against a proposed ordinance that would have required restaurants to offer only water or milk as default beverages with children's meals.
The narrow vote came after concerns were raised about government overreach and potential enforcement issues for local businesses.
The proposed ordinance would have required Pueblo restaurants selling bundled kids' meals to list only what officials called "healthy beverages" as default options. Instead of apple or orange juice automatically coming with children's meals, restaurants would have defaulted to water or milk.
Some local restaurants told News5 they already follow similar practices, while others said changing menus wouldn't create high costs.
Opposition centered on enforcement concerns, including the cost of monitoring compliance and potential consequences for restaurants that might lose their licenses for not following the law. Some council members felt these penalties were too severe for this type of initiative.
The father of a 3-year-old supported the concept but emphasized personal responsibility in teaching healthy choices.
"It's a pretty smart idea. People want to force having a poor choice, that's on them, but I think the default choice should be a healthy option. I don't drink soda much, neither does my wife, and I would probably just to try to educate her on making healthier decisions," he said.
The ordinance would not have prevented children from ordering apple juice or other sweet drinks - it simply would have removed these options from appearing as defaults on menus.
The proposal referenced data from Pueblo's Health Department and the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey showing 70% of children in the county consume a sugary drink daily.
Council members ultimately decided the potential impact on restaurants that might not follow the ordinance precisely outweighed the benefits.
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