State News Service
ELLICOT CITY, Md. — Howard County Executive Ken Ulman again leads healthy initiatives in Maryland by issuing the first Executive Order in the state requiring compliance with strong, evidence-based standards to guide the county’s procurement and distribution of sugar sweetened beverages. All County vending machines, events, programs and departments will migrate to lower sugar and lower calorie options according to new Healthy Options Beverage Standards.
“I was amazed to learn that researchers link 20 percent of the nation’s weight problems to consuming sugary drinks,” said Ulman. “County Government can lead by example to support people in making better choices for themselves and for the children who follow our habits.”
The standards, based on guidelines from the Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics, are four-fold, requiring:
Sweetened beverages to have less than 5 calories per serving,
Fruit and vegetable beverages to contain 100 percent juice with less than 120 calories in 8 ounce servings or less,
Milk and soy options to be unflavored, low or non-fat and contain less than 22 grams of sugar per 8 ounce serving or be limited to 8 ounces, and
Diet drinks (with artificial sweeteners) be limited to one quarter of the total beverage offerings.
The County will immediately transition to the new standards in all county arrangements going forward, and as vending and other contracts expire or are renegotiated.
“Since these drinks are one of the greatest sources of extra calories for kids, we hope that this is a very targeted way that we can make a difference and improve overall health for generations to come,” Ulman continued. “I hope it leads to other food standards and initiatives to encourage better health.”
Under the Order, the Department of Health must recommend best practice nutrition standards for packaged and prepared foods by May 31, 2012. The Department also is responsible for reviewing the standards at least every three years to ensure they meet or exceed current dietary standards.
“I am pleased to continue our relationship with the Horizon Foundation on these initiatives and to involve the Department of Health and the Public School System,” added Ulman. “Horizon helped fund obesity prevention initiatives for the Department of Health and the Public School System earlier this Fall and continue today to support improvements in the community with the launch of their Howard County Unsweetened website.”
Burleigh Manor Middle School in Ellicott City hosted Ulman, Horizon Foundation leadership and others in a demonstration of the volume of sugar consumption that can be reduced by making better choices.
Copyright 2012 States News Service