About

On January 1, 2020 Hawai‘i Revised Statutes § 321-30.3 went into effect, ensuring that all restaurants that serve a children’s meal with a beverage for a single price shall offer a default beverage of one or more of the following: 

  1. Water, sparkling water, or flavored water, with no added sugar, corn syrup, or other natural or artificial sweeteners; 
  2. Unflavored nonfat or low-fat (1%) milk or non-dairy beverage, that is nutritionally equivalent to fluid milk (8oz or less) with 150 calories or less; or; 
  3. 100% fruit or vegetable juice, or juice combined with water or carbonated water, with no added natural or artificial sweeteners (8oz or less). 

All Hawaii restaurants serving a children’s meal that is sold with a beverage for a single price must complete an online certification form every two years or anytime they change their children’s meal menus. A restaurant found to be serving children’s meals that include a beverage for a single price without a certificate of approval, or a restaurant with a certificate of approval that is not meeting certification requirements shall be subject to any enforcement action as will be defined by the pending Hawai’i Administrative Rules Chapter 82 Healthy Default Beverages in Children’s Meals (insert hyperlink to final HAR Title 11, Chapter 82 once published). 

Resources For Restaurants

Review before submitting a certification application to ensure approval

Compliance Checklist

Your menu(s) must include the items on this numbered list to be compliant with the law. The pictures show an example of a compliant menu and a restaurant worker offering healthy beverage choices compliant with the law.

Non-Compliant Menu Example

This is an example of a non-compliant menu that does not have healthy drink options compliant with the law and does not include an image of the healthy beverage. This example is NOT compliant with the law.

Compliant Menu Example

This is an example of a menu that is compliant with the law. The menu lists only healthy drink options compliant with the law and includes an image of the healthy beverage.

Steps to Self-Certify Your Restaurant

Please follow these steps for an overview of how to use the Healthy by Default website to self-certify your restaurant. The second page offers an At-A-Glace Compliance Checklist for your reference.

Additional Resources

Learn more about the law & the impact of beverages on kids' health