In Davis, offering a kid a soda is about to be illegal

This Thursday, May 31, 2012 file photo shows a display of various size soft drink cups next to stacks of sugar cubes at a news conference at New York’s City Hall. This Thursday, May 31, 2012 file photo shows a display of various size soft drink cups next to stacks of sugar cubes at a news conference at New York’s City Hall. Photo: Richard Drew, Associated Press Photo: Richard Drew, Associated Press Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close In Davis, offering a kid a soda is about to be illegal 1 / 7 Back to Gallery

It’s a four-letter word that parents in one Northern California city don’t want their children to hear: soda.

In a novel approach to fighting childhood obesity, the Davis City Council voted unanimously this week to approve an ordinance making milk and water the default options for kids’ meals — a victory for parents who want to shield children from sugary beverages.

Cashiers and waiters in fast food joints and other restaurants that market meals to kids will be forced, under threat of a fine to the business, to offer water or milk with those meals, not Coke or Pepsi.

Parents will still be able to order soda for their children at no extra cost — but they will have to ask for it.

Davis’ ordinance, said to be the first of its kind in the nation, is the latest twist on efforts to discourage consumption of sweet soft drinks. More than 30 states have adopted soda taxes, and in November Berkeley became the first city to do so.

The program also resembles a new drought-driven law in California, in which restaurants can serve water only on demand.

In a surprise to Davis officials, the proposal — which requires a second council vote to pass and would go into effect Sept. 1 — has been met with little vocal opposition from residents and restaurants.

Julie Gallelo, who directs the county commission that pushed the project over the past 18 months, expected more resistance from merchants. She said that her group did outreach to restaurants but that none chose to attend a community meeting on the program.

“We really just didn’t get any pushback from them at all,” said Gallelo of First 5 Yolo, which uses proceeds from California’s 50-cent cigarette tax to fund early-childhood development programs. “We thought we might have some concern from the restaurants — it just wasn’t the case.”

According to a report by UCLA and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, 38 percent of public schoolchildren in fifth, seventh and ninth grades were considered overweight or obese in 2010. Davis officials said one-quarter of the city’s students fit the same classification.

Several recent studies have drawn a link between sweet drinks and weight gain. Moreover, soft drinks top the list as the go-to kid’s beverage in the U.S., offered at 78 percent of top chain restaurants, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Under pressure, restaurants and companies are leaning toward healthier options when they market kids’ meals. Two years ago, McDonald’s announced plans to advertise water, low-fat milk and 100 percent fruit juice in its Happy Meals, with no soda featured.

Still, according to Davis officials, about one-fifth of the city’s 122 restaurants — including chains like Taco Bell, Panda Express and Applebee’s — offer sugary drinks as the default in kids’ meals. Only four offer healthier choices as the standard, the city said.

Now, if a citizen complains a restaurant is pushing soda, the city will first reach out to the establishment — then begin issuing fines, starting at $100.

Opponents of the ordinance include Dorte Jensen, a resident of Davis since 1969. She was the only person to speak against it at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. She said it’s “unnecessary and unfair.”

“It’s just intrusive, I think,” said Jensen, 55, in an interview. “Plus, it’s the choice of the restaurants how they want to do their business.”

Others, like First 5 Yolo Commissioner Donita Stromgren, see the law as another useful buffer for parents when their kids beg for sweets. She said the measure doesn’t overstep because customers can still get soda if they want.

“We believe it’s expanding the choices for parents,” she said. “It’s not limiting anything in any way.”

Gallelo, the commission director, said the move is a small part of a big picture.

“I think it just brings us all one step closer to an overall healthy children’s meal menu,” she said. “Start with the sugar, and maybe hit the fats later on.”

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jennajourno