Colo. overturns diet soda ban in schools

The Colorado State Board of Education has voted to allow high schools to once again sell diet sodas, aligning with the current federal standards and giving foodservice operators more power over what they serve.

For the last seven years, all sodas have been banned in state high schools as part of Colorado’s Healthy Beverages Policy. School foodservice operators had to answer to both the local standards and the newly officiated U.S. Department of Agriculture Smart Snacks guidelines. “We did have comments from school districts that it was difficult to understand two different policies that were in place,” Brehan Riley, director of the office of school nutrition for the Colorado Department of Education, told The Denver Post. “They let us know it was confusing.”

Although districts now have the option to stock diet sodas, the policy will allow schools to choose whether or not to stick to the stricter guidelines. Some operators are in support of the streamlined rules that give more freedom to enact their own wellness policies. “Nutrition is a community-based decision, and we need [community] input to help us make decisions,” Danielle Bock, operations coordinator for the Greeley school district’s nutrition department, said to Chalkbeat.

Health advocacy groups such as the American Heart Association, Colorado Health Foundation, Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation, LiveWell Colorado and Colorado Children’s Campaign opposed the vote. 

Related:Big soda makers agree to cut American's drink calories

The decision to reverse the state beverage policy comes just before Boulder, Colo., will consider a ballot initiative to tax soda in November. The new policy will be rolled out in the 2017-18 school year.