Boulder County Board of Health to prohibit use of beverage industry funding

The Boulder County Board of Health approved a resolution prohibiting the agency from receiving in-kind or cash donations from the sugar-sweetened beverage industry. The move is thought to be the first of its kind in the nation. "As a public health agency, we are charged with protecting and promoting the public's health," said Jeff Zayach, Boulder County Public Health Executive Director in a news release Tuesday morning. "When our residents are struggling with heart disease, unhealthy weight, and diabetes and these diseases are linked to consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, we are obligated to take a stand." Between 2009 and 2014, beverage companies spent more than $100 million to defeat public health efforts to reduce sugary drink consumption, according to the board of health. The Boulder County Public Health Department has never received funding from the beverage industry, but made this move to demonstrate the agency's "commitment to be unbiased and evidence-based" in its future decisions and policies. Advertisement The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and dental cavities, according to the public health department. In Boulder County, 45 percent of adults and 21 percent of children ages 1-14 years are obese or overweight, according to the public health department.