Berkeleyside Nosh reports that the Berkeley, California, City Council has passed a local ordinance that will require stores larger than 2,500 square feet in size to remove unhealthy food from checkout lanes.
According to the story, the policy mandates the stocking of healthy food "at the register and in areas where customers wait in line, instead of items like chips, soda and candy. It forbids food items with 5 grams of added sugars and 200 milligrams of sodium, chewing gum and mints with added sugars, and beverages with added sugars or artificial sweeteners."
The new rules passed unanimously, go into effect in March 2021 and will begin being enforced in January 2022.
One local parent and food activist called it an example of how "Berkeley is a world leader in healthy living and taking on corporate predatory practices in our communities."
- KC's View:
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If this were to happen, Berkeley was going to be the place. (And I don't say that negatively. Not in the least.) One debate participant said that "Berkeley has been a leader in progressive health policies for a long time." Which strikes me as an understatement.
I do think that this becomes less of an issue as people shop more and more online, or as checkout-free retailing experiences become more plentiful - shoppers end up not even standing in checkout lanes.
