Our Issues

What will this bill do?

The Prince George’s County Healthy Kids’ Meals Bill (CB-071) is the first of its kind to include healthier comprehensive options for both food and drinks. It makes water, milk and 100% fruit or vegetable juice default beverage options for all kids’ meals served at Prince George’s County restaurants. It also ensures that food options in kids’ meals limit calories, sugar, salt and fat. Families will be able to order other beverage items upon request. The bill will improve health for county children by making the healthy option the easy choice.

Why is this executive order necessary?

• The children of Prince George’s County are becoming more at risk for developing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease at alarming rates. The major contributing factor to these problems is the overconsumption of sugary drinks and unhealthy foods. These preexisting conditions can put people at higher risk of becoming severely ill after contracting COVID-19.
• Prince George’s County hosts a disproportionately large percentage of fast food restaurants. Prince George’s has a fast food density value of 0.83, which is in the highest 25% of counties.
• Studies have shown that greater fast food intake over a one-year period was associated with increasing weight status during that time in this preschool‐age cohort More than one-third of Maryland children age 10-17 are not at a healthy weight.

What will this bill do?

The Baltimore City Healthy Kids’ Meals Bill (17-0152) ensures that water, milk, 100% fruit juice, sparkling water and flavored water without added sweeteners are the default drink options for all restaurants kids’ meals in the city of Baltimore. Families can order other drinks upon request.

Why is this bill necessary?

• The overconsumption of sugary drinks is a key factor in high rates of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay.
• One in four children in Baltimore drinks at least one soda each day.
• Sugary drinks are often the default options accompanying kids’ meals in restaurants, and Baltimore families too often end up with these choices as they eat out on an average of 2.6 times per week.

What will this executive order do?

This executive order (2018-001) will expand healthy drinks and snacks offered in county vending machines. The bill ensures that at all items in machines will meet American Heart Association-recommended nutrition standards for sugar, salt, fat and other measures, and that every drink machine offer bottled water.

Why is this executive order necessary?

• Sugary drinks and unhealthy food contribute to chronic diseases that significantly affect the lives of residents in Baltimore County and lead to large health care costs.
• Thirty-six percent of women and 33.7 percent of men living in Baltimore County are unable to maintain a healthy weight.
• Nearly 2 percent of all deaths in Baltimore County are due to heart disease.

What will this resolution do?

This resolution will expand healthy drink and snack options offered in county vending machines. The draft policy proposed by the County Administrator will require that at least 50 percent of items in machines meet American Heart Association-recommended nutrition standards for sugar, salt, fat and other measures, and that every drink machine will offer bottled water.

Why is this bill necessary?

• Expanding healthy options greatly improves chances of consumers making a healthy choice.
• Chronic diseases are significantly affecting the lives of residents in Charles County and leading to large health care costs.
• Only 27.9 percent of county residents are currently at a healthy weight. 228.5 of every 100,000 deaths in the county are due to heart disease.

What will this bill do?

This bill will expand healthy drinks and snacks offered in county vending machines (CB-26). The bill received all nine votes from the full council. The bill ensures that at least 50 percent of items in machines will meet American Heart Association-recommended nutrition standards for sugar, salt, fat and other measures, and that every drink machine will offer bottled water.

Why is this bill necessary?

• Chronic diseases are significantly affecting the lives of residents in Prince George’s County and leading to large health care costs.
• More than 60 percent of deaths in the county are due to chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

What did this bill do?

This has expanded healthy drinks and snacks offered in county vending machines. At least 50 percent of items in machines will meet American Heart Association recommended nutrition standards for sugar, salt, fat and other measures, and every drink machine will offer bottled water.

Why is this bill necessary?

• Healthier options create more supportive food environments for government employees, visitors to public property, participants in government-sponsored programs and people in government institutional environments.
• Almost one in four children in Montgomery County is not able to maintain a healthy weight. This rate outpaces the national average. More than half of all adults in the county are not keeping a healthy weight.
• Between Fiscal Year 2006 and Fiscal Year 2017, County Government expenditures to provide health insurance to current and retired employees increased by 72 percent, from $83.3 million to $143.1 million.

What does this bill do?

Requires licensed childcare facilities in Maryland to serve healthier drinks, make water freely available, have a trained staff member on site who can support breastfeeding mothers, and reduce non-educational screen time (e.g., time watching television or playing computer games) for children in their care.