HEALTHY KIDS MEAL IN RHODE ISLAND RESTAURANTS

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  • Legislation Overview

Our legislation would apply uniform nutrition standards across all Rhode Island restaurants, requiring kids’ meals to meet straightforward caloric, ingredient, and food requirements set forth by the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the American Heart Association.

Nutritional ElementRequirement
Calories:​<600 calories​
Calories from Saturated Fat​<10% of calories​
Added sugars​No more than 10%​
Sodium​<700 mg​
Food Group Serving Size/Criteria​
Fruit ≥1/2 cup (Not fruit juice)​
Vegetable​ ≥1/2 cup​
Non/Low Fat Dairy​ ≥1 cup​
Whole Grains ½ serving​

Kid’s meals must also offer 1 of three default beverages: water, milk, or a milk alternative. This does not prohibit a restaurant from selling, or a customer from purchasing, a beverage other than the default beverage included with the children’s meal upon request. This legislation will be implemented, administered, and enforced by the RI Department of Health.

Tell your legislators and the governor today the importance of combating childhood obesity and implementing statewide nutrition standards for kid’s meals in restaurants.

  • Why this Legislation Matters

Health consequences of childhood obesity are serious, expensive, and can be long-lasting. Addressing childhood obesity aims to reduce government healthcare spending on preventable chronic disease in Rhode Island over the long haul.

Rhode Island:

  • In 2022, 1 in 3 Rhode Island children were obese.1
  • Childhood obesity disproportionately affects marginalized communities; 41% of Latinx and 41% of Black children in RI are overweight or obese compared to 32% of White children.1
  • Childhood Obesity is associated with costly chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.1
  •  Rhode Island spends nearly $8 billion on annual healthcare expenditures.2
  • Chronic diseases that can be improved by diet, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, impact 1 in 4 Rhode Islanders.2

United States:

  • Diet-related conditions are the leading cause of death and disability in the U.S.3
  • The combined healthcare spending and lost productivity from suboptimal diets cost the U.S. economy $1.1 trillion each year.4
  • Similar Policies Across the Nation
National Kids LiveWell (KLW) Program
  • KLW is a national voluntary program that requires participating restaurants to offer at least 2 kid’s meals and 2 sides that meet dietary standards.5
  • KLW currently has 18 participating chain partners5
  • KLW Includes nutrition standards for side dishes and beverages.5
  • Ordering Patterns of kids’ meals in a KLW-participating restaurant demonstrated some effective results.6
  • However, the original campaign reaches only a small set of restaurants and showed little progress in improving overall children’s nutritional intake at restaurants.7
Countywide Nutrition Standards:Default Beverage Standards
  • Countywide Nutrition Standards:
  • Counties like Santa Clara County, CA (2017), Prince George’s County, MD (2020), Montgomery County, MD (2022) have mandated nutrition standards in kids’ meals at restaurants.8
  • Evidence from these policies demonstrate associations between nutrition standards in kids’ meals and improved dietary quality.9,10
  • Many States and municipalities have successfully enacted kids’ meal default beverage policies:
  • States: California (2018), Illinois (2021), Delaware (2022)8
  • Municipalities: Davis, CA (2015), Baltimore, MD (2018), St. Louis, MO (2022)8
  • In these states, offerings of healthy beverages increased and the percentage of sugary drinks offered by the top 50 restaurant chains dropped from 93% to 61%.11

References

  1. Rhode Island Kids Count, “Childhood Overweight and Obesity: Updated Data for Rhode Island,” 2022 https://www.rikidscount.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=MlEYij3eqCA%3D&portalid=0.
  2. Rhode Island Department of Health, “A Preliminary Look at Chronic Conditions in Rhode Island,” 2023, https://health.ri.gov/chronicconditions/
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Leading Causes of Death,” National Center for Health Statistics, 2023, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm
  4. The Rockefeller Foundation, “True Cost of Food: Measuring What Matters to Transform the U.S. Food System,” The Rockefeller Foundation, July 2021, https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/report/true-cost-of-food-measuring-what-matters-to-transform-the-u-s-food-system/.
  5. National Restaurant Association, “Kids LiveWell Whitepaper” (2023), https://restaurant.org/getmedia/8bbc70ec-aa58-411d-8f57-d0bf794917cd/kids-livewell-whitepaper.pdf.
  6. Mueller MP, et al., “Ordering patterns following the implementation of a healthier children’s restaurant menu: A latent class analysis,” Obesity (Silver Spring) 25, no. 1 (2017): 192-199, doi: 10.1002/oby.21708, PMID: 27860318.
  7. Moran, A. J., et al., “Trends in Nutrient Content of Children’s Menu Items in U.S. Chain Restaurants,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 52, no. 3 (2017): 284–291, doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2016.11.007.
  8. Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), “Kids’ Meals” (2023), https://www.cspinet.org/advocacy/nutrition/kids-meals.
  9. Berger AT, et al., “Changes in association between school foods and child and adolescent dietary quality during implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010,” Annals of Epidemiology 47 (July 2020): 30-36, doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2020.05.013, PMID: 32713505.
  10. Otten, J. J., et al., “Impact of San Francisco’s toy ordinance on restaurants and children’s food purchases, 2011-2012,” Preventing Chronic Disease 11 (2014): E122, doi: 10.5888/pcd11.140026.
  11. Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), “Fewer Chain Restaurants Selling Soda on Kids’ Menus, But Majority Still Pushing Sugary Drinks” (2023), https://www.cspinet.org/press-release/fewer-chain-restaurants-selling-soda-kids-menus-majority-still-pushing-sugary-drink.

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