In an effort to combat childhood obesity, the New York City Board of Health, controlled by Mayor Bill de Blasio, has unveiled new rules restricting juice consumption at licensed day cares.
Under the new rules, children must be at least 2 years old before they can drink juice at day care, and they are only allowed four ounces of 100 percent juice a day, the New York Daily News reported.
Previously, children as young as eight months were allowed to drink six ounces a day.
Other new rules restrict “sedentary time” from 60 minutes to less than 30 minutes a day and prohibit kids 2 and older from watching more than 30 minutes of TV per week, the Daily News reported.
Screen time is already prohibited for kids under 2, and sedentary time does not include naps, reading, doing puzzles or painting, the Daily News reported.
The rule changes were approved by the Board of Health earlier this month and posted in the City Record on Monday, the Daily News reported.
“Dietary and lifestyle habits and preferences developed at a very early age can often persist and may have profound impact on an individual’s health later on,” the Board wrote in the City Record.
The rules are reminiscent of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s attempt to ban sugary beverages over 16 ounces being sold in the city, which the courts struck down as unconstitutional.
Mr. de Blasio has said that he agreed with his predecessor’s initiative and would try to bring it back through other means, the Daily News reported.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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