NYC Board Of Health Limiting Juice Consumption In Day Care Centers
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The New York City Board of Health announced new rules Monday for day care centers, including a limit on how much juice kids can drink.
Under the new rules, day cares can only give 100 percent juice to children 2 years and older and it can only be up to 4 ounces a day. The old rules allowed babies as young as 8 months to drink up to 6 ounces of juice a day.
Health officials cite data that shows too many kids overconsume juice and go far beyond the daily caloric recommendations.
The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests limiting juice for kids 1 to 6 years old to 6 ounces.
City health officials said they're going the extra mile because kids are likely also getting juice outside of school, doubling or tripling the daily recommendation.
Some parents said the new juice rules are another step toward being a nanny state and resemble the city's fight against super-sized sugary drinks and sodas.
"I think it's ultimately up to the parents," one mother told CBS2's Emily Smith. "Obesity is an issue that starts in the family."
Others, however, gave the initiative a thumbs-up.
"Actually, I do agree with it only because obesity has become a problem," one parent told WCBS 880's Paul Murnane.
"There's a lot of sugar in the juices and you can get obesity fast, so I think the best thing is to do it that way," another parent told 1010 WINS' Kevin Rincon.
"They're trying to limit the sugar intake," another parent said. "There's nothing wrong with that. I don't have a problem with that."
Nyla Kamlet, director of Play Together NYC, a private school turning public in the fall for 4-year-olds, said it does not allow juice at all.
"It makes kids very speedy on the inside. It revs them up, and then they can't pay attention to what's going on," she said.
Pediatric dentist Dr. Serena Kassem said that in addition to obesity concerns, sugar, even in one serving of 100 percent fruit juice, eats away at tooth enamel at a rate equivalent to eight cookies. She also questions why preschool students can still drink milk, which also contains sugar, at will.
"For us, it's decreasing the amount of frequency that the liquid's in contact with the teeth," Kassem said.
The new rules also call for cutting children's "sedentary time'' in an effort to keep preschoolers active.
Children will not be able to sit for more than 30 minutes straight, down from 60 minutes. It does not apply to naps, reading and other activities such as arts and crafts.
In addition, children 2 and older can only watch up to 30 minutes of educational television programming a week, down from 60 minutes a day.
The new rules, which take effect April 20, only apply to preschools and nonresidential day cares that are regulated by the city. Day cares that are home-based are regulated by the state and have their own rules.