PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – The Pueblo department of public health and environment is proposing a new ordinance called Healthy Beverages for All or HB4A.

PDPHE is set to give a presentation on the proposal at the Pueblo city council meeting this evening at 6:10. The public can watch on comcast channel 17 or view it via livestream on the city of Pueblo’s Facebook page or here.

According to the city council’s agenda, PDPHE wants to implement the program to focus on decreasing excessive consumption of sugary drinks in Pueblo county. Their plan to do that involves creating a new standard for drinks offered by all eateries in the city that have a bundled children’s meal (a kids’ meal plus a drink included with the price of the meal.) The new program would have a default option for something like water or milk. Neither would have any added natural or artificial sweeteners.

Another step they wish to take is to take away targeted marketing in town.

The proposal claims this will not take away choices from parents. They would still be able to order anything they want off any menu in town for themselves or their children.

PDPHE says the grant would be funded by the Cancer, Cardiovascular, Pulmonary disease grants program (CCPD). The program hopes to make it the policy of the city to change the menu’s, and they want to help pay to change restaurant menus in town to take some burden off of restaurant owners.

In total 96 local restaurants would be affected. 34 local restaurants and 62 chain restaurants are being visited in-person by PDPHE officials to help gather information for the program.

So far they have endorsements from B&C Tacos, CommonSpirit, the Colorado Restaurant Association, Pueblo Community College Children First, Colorado Bluesky Enterprises, and U.C. Health.

Southwest Grill, a family restaurant in Pueblo near highway 50 and Club Manor drive, is the first restaurant to voluntarily comply with the proposed policy.

If the proposed ordinance goes through, plans are to make it a requirement to obtain a business license in the city of Pueblo. You can read more about it here.