Sugar-sweetened beverages like soda are the largest source of added sugar in children's diets. And, they are the third highest source of kids' calories overall. Drinking just one additional sugary drink every day increases a child's odds of becoming obese. With one in three children overweight or obese in the United States, it no longer makes sense to include sugary beverages in restaurant meals for young children.
Tell Burger King and Wendy's that with rising rates of children in the U.S. developing serious diseases like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, it's time to get sugary drinks off kids' menus!
Dear Daniel S. Schwartz, CEO Burger King and Emil Brolick, CEO Wendy's:
We, the undersigned, write to ask Burger King and Wendy's to strengthen its commitment to providing children with healthy meal options, including by removing soda and other sugary beverages from your children's menu.
Families eat out almost twice as often as they did in the 1970s, with children consuming about a quarter of their calories at fast-food and other restaurants.Given the growing role of restaurant foods in children's diets and the high rates of childhood obesity, restaurants should do more to help children eat better.
Soda and other sugary drinks may promote obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Sugar-sweetened beverages are the single largest source of sugar in children's diets, providing nearly half of their added sugars intake. Drinking just one additional sugary drink every day increases a child's odds of becoming obese. With one in three children overweight or obese in the United States, it no longer makes sense to include sugary beverages in restaurant meals for young children.
[Your comments here]
We encourage you to remove soda and other sugary drinks from your children's menu. We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
[Your name here]
