Two Taranaki retailers have banned sales of sugar-sweetened beverages to children on their way to school in the morning.
Stratford's Northern Dairy and CR Dairy in Eltham are supporting a Taranaki Public Health Unit's 'Tap into Water' project to help combat child obesity, tooth decay and other health issues.
Jill Nicholls, Taranaki DHB Health Promoter, said the public health unit has been working with local schools to become "water only" and have started visiting South Taranaki retailers, including dairies, petrol stations and supermarkets to provide information on how they can help reduce the amount of sugar a child has each day.
She said high sugar in beverages can interfere with concentration, learning and problem behaviour.
"Research shows that on average a 600ml bottle of fizzy has more than 16 teaspoons of sugar. The Ministry of Health recommends that a child has less than 3-5 teaspoons of sugar per day and an adult less than six teaspoons per day," said Ms Nicholls.