Victory - June 2, 2010

The D.C. City Council voted unanimously in favor of a soda and beverage tax to fund the D.C. Healthy Schools Act. Thanks to nearly 1,500 emails from Change.org petitioners, all sugar-sweetened beverages will carry a six-percent tax, the proceeds of which will fund the D.C. Healthy Schools Act. The initiative will create local nutritional standards for schools, add vegetarian and non-dairy school lunch options, and provide more funding for fresh fruits and vegetables in school cafeterias.

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The D.C. Healthy Schools Act is a landmark bill that will substantially raise the nutritional standards of school meals, bring fresh, local fruits and vegetables to schools, triple the amount of physical and health education, and create a school gardens program. A penny-per-ounce tax on soda and sugar-sweetened beverages is proposed to fund the D.C. Healthy Schools Act — and provide additional money for local health programs, such as eliminating the District’s “grocery gap.”

Sign the petition to fund healthy and nutritious school meals, more physical activity for students, and expanded health and wellness programs for children.