KICK THE CAN: CA

Kick The Can: CA aims to change beverage environments in California in order to increase the consumption of water and other healthy beverages while decreasing consumption of soda and other sugary drinks. Support of breastfeeding through adoption of city and county policies is also a goal of the campaign.  Achieving these goals is necessary to reverse the state’s out-of-control obesity crisis.

Research paints a dramatic picture of the significant role that soda and sugary drink consumption has in the growing obesity crisis:

• Sugary drinks contribute nearly half the additional calories Americans consume since the obesity crisis first began in the 1970s
• The average American drinks nearly 45 gallons of sugary drinks per year
• In California, 41% of children ages 2 to 11 and 62% of teens drink sugary drinks daily
• Adults who drink sugary drinks daily are 27% more likely to be overweight

Key elements of Kick The Can: CA include:

• Public information to raise awareness about the role soda and other sugary drinks play in the obesity epidemic, the lack of safe drinking water in many communities and the importance of breast milk and other healthy beverages. KickTheCan, a website about sugary drinks, provides resources for advocates.  CCPHA's fact sheet about soda and sugary drinks is available in English and in Spanish.
• Grassroots education to raise awareness among communities most-at-risk about the unhealthy and harmful consequences of consuming sugary drinks.  To request a power point presentation on the subject, contact Stefan Harvey.
• Adoption of city and county policies to limit the availability and marketing of sugary drinks, increase access to safe drinking water and other healthy alternatives, and increase support for breastfeeding at worksites and public facilities. For a list of policies that limit availability and marketing, click here, and to learn what policies have been adopted by California cities and counties, click here .The names of individuals who worked to get these policies adopted are included on the list along with their contact information. To read CCPHA's model city food and beverage policy, click here.
• Adoption of state policies to reform beverage environments, to promote water consumption, and reduce soda and other sugary drink consumption.