A California bill proposing the restriction of what proposers call "unhealthy" vending food on state grounds, including state offices, is causing intense debate, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The proposed legislation to remove junk food and sugar-loaded drinks from vending machines is set to go before the state Committee on Appropriations this week, would require half of the food in vending machines to meet nutritional guidelines established by the state by 2015.
The requirements, according to the bill, would increase to 75 percent the following year (2016) and eventually to 100 percent by 2017, according to KTLA 5 news.
Opponents, however, liken the bill to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's ban on large, sugary drinks, an attempt that a state court there struck down in March. Legislators, they said, shouldn't meddle in consumers' food and beverage choices.
The regulations would ban options such as Doritos chips and Coca-Cola soda. Permitted products would include water, milk with 2% fat or less, 100% fruit or vegetable juice and snacks with fewer than 200 calories and 230 milligrams of sodium per serving.
Existing policies in Los Angeles, Sacramento and at least a dozen other California municipalities already require vending machines on government property to set aside space for nutritious foods, Mitchell said. In 2010, an executive order from then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom banned sugary drinks from city vending machines.
