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Legislative Action Alert
November 3, 2010
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STRATEGIC ALLIANCE
221 Oak Street
Oakland, CA 94607
Tel: 510.444.7738
Fax: 510.663.1280

 

 

SF Passes Landmark Healthy Kids' Meals Legislation!

Yesterday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to pass the proposed Healthy Meal Incentive ordinance. Backed by a diverse coalition of caregivers, doctors, health officials, teachers, and community members, this landmark law sets much-needed nutritional standards for restaurant meals sold with toys or other youth-focused incentive items. 

The law makes San Francisco the first major city in the country to require restaurants to meet set levels of calories, sugar, and fat, and provide a serving of fruits or vegetables when offering meals accompanied by toys. It follows on the heels of a similar measure passed in Santa Clara County earlier this year.

Strategic Alliance applauds SF Sups’ leadership and commitment to healthier food and activity environments. We encourage advocates to show your support by writing opinion pieces, pitching stories to journalists and penning letters to the editor.

Here are some angles you could cover in your response:
  • We need policies that protect children and families. Policies that increase access to healthy foods and decrease access to unhealthy foods protect consumers. Corporations have virtually unlimited resources to influence children and families: The restaurant industry spends more than $5 million every day marketing unhealthy foods to children. With numbers like these, the deck is stacked against parents who want to make healthy decisions for their children. Policies like San Francisco’s help right the balance, giving consumers more control, more options, and paving the way for better health.
  • Public health has a long, proud history of using policy to protect health and individuals. Seat belt laws and policies regulating lead in paint are built on the same principle of protection.  Such laws are a given today, but they were controversial when first introduced, too.
     
  • Building healthy communities is a key strategy to improving health. Policies like this one reduce the negative impact of junk food in communities – a critical strategy if we are to reverse unprecedented surges in Type II diabetes and an array of health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and cancer. 
Learn more about SF’s landmark law by visiting Strategic Alliance’s Local Policy Database.

Select News stories on the SF Healthy Meal Incentive Ordinance:

USA Today San Francisco Proposal Would Limit Toys in Kids’ Meals

SF Examiner Kids’ Meal Toys Taken From Tots

San Francisco Chronicle SF Fast-Food Toy Ban Gets Supervisors’ First OK

LA Times San Francisco Bans Happy Meals

Sacramento Bee San Francisco OKs Law Requiring Healthier Kids’ Meals

Mercury News S.F. Follows Santa Clara in Banning Unhealthy Kids’ Meals 

Fresno Bee San Fran OKs Law Requiring Healthier Kids’ Meals


Get something in the news? Tell us about it.

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WHAT IS THE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE?

The Strategic Alliance is reframing the debate on nutrition and physical activity away from a focus solely on individual choice and lifestyle towards one of environmental influences and corporate and government responsibility. Current Steering Committee members are: California Adolescent Nutrition and Fitness Program (CANFit), California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA), California Food Policy Advocates (CFPA), California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, California Park and Recreation Society (CPRS) , California Project LEAN, California WIC Association (CWA), Child Care Food Program Roundtable, Latino Health Access, Partnership for the Public's Health, PolicyLink, Prevention Institute, Samuels & Associates, and Public Health Law and Policy.

HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER

The Strategic Alliance is currently engaged in building a broad and diverse statewide membership. To join or for more information, please visit us on the Web, www.eatbettermovemore.org, or contact Shakirah Simley at 510.444.7738 or Shakirah@preventioninstitute.org. And even if you're already a member, please forward this message on to your colleagues so we can continue to strengthen our coalition. Thank you!

 

The Strategic Alliance is reframing the debate on nutrition and

physical activity - from a focus solely on individual choice and lifestyle,

towards one of environmental influences and corporate and government responsibility.

 

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