Sugar-sweetened beverages could be removed from Whanganui District Council workplaces in a push for healthier food and drink at council facilities.
While councillors have decided not to implement a sugar-sweetened beverages policy, a healthy food and beverages guideline will be developed to be used at council-owned facilities and events.
A report to the council's strategy and finance committee before the vote said a policy would be "a drastic policy shift for council to make decisions on what residents consume".
Councillors favoured less stringent guidelines.
These are yet to be written but the report suggests some or all sugar-sweetened beverages could be removed from council workplaces and facilities, meetings and events in favour of increasing the availability of healthy food and promoting water.
But there are suggested exemptions.