In its fight against childhood obesity, The World Heart Federation has been negotiating in recent months with soft drink makers to get them to remove sugar-sweetened beverages from schools. And now they are starting to enjoy the fruits of their labor, as Pepsi just announced this week that they plan on pulling all of their fully-sweetened drinks from schools in the U.S., and in more than 200 countries total, by 2012.

Coca-Cola, the leading soft drink maker in the world, has also made positive moves in a similar direction. This month their global sales policy was amended to not sell any of their beverages in primary schools world-wide, unless parents or school districts request them. However, this policy is not applicable to secondary schools.

Pepsi plans to sell only water, fat-free or low-fat milk, and juices that contain no added sugar in primary schools. In secondary schools they will sell those same products, plus Diet Pepsi and other low-calorie soft drinks. Read the rest of this entry »