Sugary Drinks May Be Banned From Checkout Aisles

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SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - The checkout line at stores may look a lot different if an Assemblymember gets her way.

Asm. Buffy Wicks drafted legislation to create the California Healthy Checkout Aisles for Healthy Families Act. It would require stores to get rid of sugary, high calorie drinks from checkout aisles. Instead, only milk, coffee or tea (with no added caloric sweeteners), 100% natural fruit juice, and 100% vegetable juice would be allowed to be sold. Stores that don't comply would face $1,000 fine per day for the first violation. The fine would increase for subsequent violations.

The law would apply to a number of stores, including any that meet one or more of these requirements:

Measure 10,000 square feet or more
Has a pharmacy license
Generate gross annual sales of $2 million or more
Sell groceries, canned goods, some perishable items, and nonfood items
Is a convenience food store, or foodmart, selling milk, bread, soda, and snack food

If the legislation passes and gets signed by Governor Gavin Newsom the law would go into effect July 1, 2020.