Healthy Beverage Initiative

The UC Healthy Beverage Initiative aims to improve access to tap water as a healthy alternative to sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and provide the opportunity for UC campuses to make strides towards a partial or full removal of sugar sweetened beverage sales.

Unhealthy diets, such as the one high in added sugars, are a major contributor to the development of preventable chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, Type 2 Diabetes, cancer, obesity and its related cardiometabolic conditions (e.g., non-alcoholic fatty liver disease).  Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), such as sodas, sport drinks, sweetened juice, and sweetened coffees and teas, are the main source of added sugars in the American diet.

Year one is designed to identify and incorporate existing assets and abilities towards creating a healthy beverage environment.  An evaluation of water use, SSB availability and signage will be paired with the first year's activity and the installation of tap water bottle refillers, hydration stations and water access signage.