Bill Sponsors
Lauria, Murray, Kallman, and Ujifusa
Committee
Senate Health & Human Services
Summary
Select
The "Healthy Kids Act" aims to combat childhood obesity by establishing nutritional standards for children's meals served in Rhode Island restaurants. Under this bill, restaurants must ensure that at least two children's meals, or 25% of the children's menu, meet specific limits on calories, sodium, sugar, and fat, and include healthy food groups like fruits or vegetables. Furthermore, the bill mandates that the default beverage included with a children's meal must be water, unflavored milk, or a non-dairy alternative, though customers retain the right to request a different beverage if desired.
Sponsor
Analysis
Pros for Progressives
- Addresses significant health disparities identified in the legislation, specifically aiming to improve health outcomes for Black and Latinx children who suffer disproportionately from obesity compared to white children.
- Implements systemic reform by holding the private sector accountable for the nutritional quality of food marketed to children, shifting the burden of health from individual choices to structural environments.
- Promotes long-term community welfare by potentially reducing the prevalence of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, which often burden the social safety net and public health systems.
Cons for Progressives
- May place an undue burden on low-wage restaurant workers who must enforce the "default beverage" rules and explain nutritional options to customers, potentially leading to difficult interactions.
- Could lead to increased costs for restaurant owners that might be passed down to consumers, potentially making dining out more expensive for low-income families.
- Focuses narrowly on restaurant consumption rather than addressing the root economic causes of food insecurity and the lack of access to healthy groceries in impoverished neighborhoods.
Pros for Conservatives
- Preserves ultimate consumer freedom by explicitly allowing customers to purchase any beverage they choose upon request, rather than implementing an outright ban on sugary drinks.
- Could arguably reduce long-term taxpayer burdens associated with state-funded healthcare costs by lowering obesity rates and associated chronic conditions in the future.
- Avoids new taxes or direct government spending programs to address obesity, relying instead on market adjustments within the private sector.
Cons for Conservatives
- Represents "nanny state" government overreach by dictating how private businesses design their menus and interact with their customers regarding food choices.
- Imposes new regulatory burdens on business owners, including mandatory employee training, record-keeping of nutritional content, and menu redesigns.
- Creates a slippery slope of government control over personal diet and lifestyle choices, potentially leading to further restrictions on what citizens can eat or drink.
Constitutional Concerns
None Likely
Impact Overview
Groups Affected
- Restaurants
- Children
- Parents
- Restaurant Employees
- Department of Health
Towns Affected
All
Cost to Taxpayers
Amount unknown
Revenue Generated
None
BillBuddy Impact Ratings
Importance
Measures population affected and overall level of impact.
Freedom Impact
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Public Services
How much the bill is likely to impact one or more public services.
Regulatory
Estimated regulatory burden imposed on the subject(s) of the bill.
Clarity of Bill Language
How clear the language of the bill is. Higher ambiguity equals a lower score.
Enforcement Provisions
Measures enforcement provisions and penalties for non-compliance (if applicable).
Environmental Impact
Impact the bill will have on the environment, positive or negative.
Privacy Impact
Impact the bill is likely to have on the privacy of individuals.
Bill Status
Current Status
Held
Comm Passed
Floor Passed
Law
History
• 01/16/2026 Introduced, referred to Senate Health and Human Services
Bill Text
SECTION 1. Legislative findings. The general assembly hereby finds and declares all of the following:
(1) Thirty-five percent (35%) of Rhode Island children are overweight or obese.
(2) 2022 childhood obesity rates were on the rise from pre-pandemic levels in 2019 (thirty- five percent (35%) in 2022 versus thirty-one percent (31%) in 2019).
(3) Forty percent (40%) of children in Rhode Island's core cities are overweight or obese compared to thirty-five percent (35%) of children in the remainder of the state.
(4) Forty-one percent (41%) of Latinx and forty-one percent (41%) of Black children in Rhode Island are overweight or obese compared to thirty-two (32%) of white children.
(5) Food environments are associated with food choices and diet quality.
(6) Childhood obesity is associated with costly chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
SECTION 2. Title 21 of the General Laws entitled "FOOD AND DRUGS" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: CHAPTER 38 HEALTHY KIDS ACT
21-38-1. Short title.
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Healthy Kids Act".
21-38-2. Definitions.
As used in this chapter, the following words and terms shall have the following meanings, unless the context shall clearly indicate another or different meaning or intent:
(1) "Children's meal" means a combination of food and a beverage, offered for sale together at a single price, primarily intended for consumption by children.
(2) "Default beverage" means any beverage offered as part of a children's meal.
(3) "Restaurant" means any food service establishment that serves food to customers for consumption on or off the premises, as defined in § 21-27-1, including, but not limited to, drive- through or walk-up counters, coffee shops, cafes, pizza parlors, and dine-in establishments. "Restaurant" does not include school cafeterias.
21-38-3. Nutrition standards in children's meals.
(a) A restaurant shall not sell any children's meal unless the restaurant offers at least two (2) children's meals, or twenty-five percent (25%) of the children's meals on the children's menu, whichever is greater, that contain no more than:
(1) Five hundred fifty (550) calories;
(2) Seven hundred (700) milligrams of sodium;
(3) Fifteen (15) grams of added sugars;
(4) Ten percent (10%) of calories from saturated fat; and
(5) Zero grams of trans fat.
(b) A restaurant shall not sell any children's meal, unless the restaurant offers at least two (2) children's meals, or twenty-five percent (25%) of the children's meals on the children's menu, whichever is greater, that include servings in the specified amounts from at least two (2) of the following five (5) food groups, and at least one of the two (2) food groups shall be a fruit or non- fried vegetable:
(1) Fruit: one half (0.5) cup or more;
(2) Vegetable: one half (0.5) cup or more;
(3) Nonfat or low-fat dairy: one half (0.5) cup or more;
(4) Meat or meat alternative equaling at least:
(i) One ounce meat, poultry, or seafood;
(ii) One egg;
(iii) One fourth (0.25) cup pulses (beans, peas, lentils) or soy products;
(iv) Two (2) tablespoons nut butter; or
(v) One ounce nuts and seeds; or
(5) Whole grains: providing at least eight (8) grams of whole grains and meeting at least one of the following criteria: LC003659 - Page 2 of 5
(i) Contains fifty percent (50%) whole grain ingredients; or
(ii) Lists whole grains as the first ingredient.
21-38-4. Default beverages in children's meals.
(a) A restaurant shall not sell a children's meal with a beverage, unless the default beverage is one of the following:
(1) Water with no added natural or artificial sweeteners;
(2) Unflavored nonfat or low-fat milk, with no added natural or artificial sweeteners; or
(3) Non-dairy milk alternative that is nutritionally similar to cow's milk, with no added natural or artificial sweeteners.
(b) When taking food and beverage orders for a children's meal, restaurant employees shall offer one of the default beverages in subsection (a) of this section.
(c) Nothing in this section prohibits a restaurant from selling, or a customer from purchasing, a beverage other than the default beverage included with a children's meal, if the customer requests a substitute or alternative beverage.
21-38-5. Menus and menu boards.
The children's meals and default beverages that meet the nutrition standards listed in §§ 21-38- 3 and 21-38-4 shall be listed or displayed on a restaurant's menu and menu boards, including, without limitation, online menus, and menus used by delivery-based entities.
21-38-6. Enforcement.
(a) The department of health shall implement, administer, and enforce this chapter, and is hereby authorized to issue rules and regulations, consistent with this chapter and shall have all necessary powers to fulfill the purpose of this chapter.
(b) Within ninety (90) days of the effective date of this chapter, or any amendments, the department of health shall send a copy of the law or any such amendment, and other written informational resources, created in accordance with subsection (c) of this section, to all restaurants subject to the chapter.
(c) The department of health shall develop written informational resources and signage in English and Spanish summarizing the requirements of this chapter, to help support restaurants and employees in its implementation.
21-38-7. Restaurants.
(a) All restaurants shall provide the written informational resources developed in accordance with § 21-38-6(c) to all employees upon commencement of employment.
(b) Within thirty (30) days of receiving a copy of this chapter and other written informational resources, and on a regular basis for all new employees, while this chapter is in effect, LC003659 - Page 3 of 5 all restaurants shall train employees on how to comply with the provisions of this chapter.
(c) All restaurants shall maintain records documenting the nutritional content of children's meal food and beverages and make such records available to the department of health upon request.
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2027.
(1) Thirty-five percent (35%) of Rhode Island children are overweight or obese.
(2) 2022 childhood obesity rates were on the rise from pre-pandemic levels in 2019 (thirty- five percent (35%) in 2022 versus thirty-one percent (31%) in 2019).
(3) Forty percent (40%) of children in Rhode Island's core cities are overweight or obese compared to thirty-five percent (35%) of children in the remainder of the state.
(4) Forty-one percent (41%) of Latinx and forty-one percent (41%) of Black children in Rhode Island are overweight or obese compared to thirty-two (32%) of white children.
(5) Food environments are associated with food choices and diet quality.
(6) Childhood obesity is associated with costly chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
SECTION 2. Title 21 of the General Laws entitled "FOOD AND DRUGS" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: CHAPTER 38 HEALTHY KIDS ACT
21-38-1. Short title.
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Healthy Kids Act".
21-38-2. Definitions.
As used in this chapter, the following words and terms shall have the following meanings, unless the context shall clearly indicate another or different meaning or intent:
(1) "Children's meal" means a combination of food and a beverage, offered for sale together at a single price, primarily intended for consumption by children.
(2) "Default beverage" means any beverage offered as part of a children's meal.
(3) "Restaurant" means any food service establishment that serves food to customers for consumption on or off the premises, as defined in § 21-27-1, including, but not limited to, drive- through or walk-up counters, coffee shops, cafes, pizza parlors, and dine-in establishments. "Restaurant" does not include school cafeterias.
21-38-3. Nutrition standards in children's meals.
(a) A restaurant shall not sell any children's meal unless the restaurant offers at least two (2) children's meals, or twenty-five percent (25%) of the children's meals on the children's menu, whichever is greater, that contain no more than:
(1) Five hundred fifty (550) calories;
(2) Seven hundred (700) milligrams of sodium;
(3) Fifteen (15) grams of added sugars;
(4) Ten percent (10%) of calories from saturated fat; and
(5) Zero grams of trans fat.
(b) A restaurant shall not sell any children's meal, unless the restaurant offers at least two (2) children's meals, or twenty-five percent (25%) of the children's meals on the children's menu, whichever is greater, that include servings in the specified amounts from at least two (2) of the following five (5) food groups, and at least one of the two (2) food groups shall be a fruit or non- fried vegetable:
(1) Fruit: one half (0.5) cup or more;
(2) Vegetable: one half (0.5) cup or more;
(3) Nonfat or low-fat dairy: one half (0.5) cup or more;
(4) Meat or meat alternative equaling at least:
(i) One ounce meat, poultry, or seafood;
(ii) One egg;
(iii) One fourth (0.25) cup pulses (beans, peas, lentils) or soy products;
(iv) Two (2) tablespoons nut butter; or
(v) One ounce nuts and seeds; or
(5) Whole grains: providing at least eight (8) grams of whole grains and meeting at least one of the following criteria: LC003659 - Page 2 of 5
(i) Contains fifty percent (50%) whole grain ingredients; or
(ii) Lists whole grains as the first ingredient.
21-38-4. Default beverages in children's meals.
(a) A restaurant shall not sell a children's meal with a beverage, unless the default beverage is one of the following:
(1) Water with no added natural or artificial sweeteners;
(2) Unflavored nonfat or low-fat milk, with no added natural or artificial sweeteners; or
(3) Non-dairy milk alternative that is nutritionally similar to cow's milk, with no added natural or artificial sweeteners.
(b) When taking food and beverage orders for a children's meal, restaurant employees shall offer one of the default beverages in subsection (a) of this section.
(c) Nothing in this section prohibits a restaurant from selling, or a customer from purchasing, a beverage other than the default beverage included with a children's meal, if the customer requests a substitute or alternative beverage.
21-38-5. Menus and menu boards.
The children's meals and default beverages that meet the nutrition standards listed in §§ 21-38- 3 and 21-38-4 shall be listed or displayed on a restaurant's menu and menu boards, including, without limitation, online menus, and menus used by delivery-based entities.
21-38-6. Enforcement.
(a) The department of health shall implement, administer, and enforce this chapter, and is hereby authorized to issue rules and regulations, consistent with this chapter and shall have all necessary powers to fulfill the purpose of this chapter.
(b) Within ninety (90) days of the effective date of this chapter, or any amendments, the department of health shall send a copy of the law or any such amendment, and other written informational resources, created in accordance with subsection (c) of this section, to all restaurants subject to the chapter.
(c) The department of health shall develop written informational resources and signage in English and Spanish summarizing the requirements of this chapter, to help support restaurants and employees in its implementation.
21-38-7. Restaurants.
(a) All restaurants shall provide the written informational resources developed in accordance with § 21-38-6(c) to all employees upon commencement of employment.
(b) Within thirty (30) days of receiving a copy of this chapter and other written informational resources, and on a regular basis for all new employees, while this chapter is in effect, LC003659 - Page 3 of 5 all restaurants shall train employees on how to comply with the provisions of this chapter.
(c) All restaurants shall maintain records documenting the nutritional content of children's meal food and beverages and make such records available to the department of health upon request.
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2027.