Provisions Related to Health, Nutrition, and Healthy Beverage Promotion in University Pouring Rights Contracts: A Content Analysis

Abstract

Purpose: Many universities maintain pouring rights contracts (PRCs) with beverage companies wherein one company exchanges sponsorship payments for exclusive beverage marketing rights. Separately, universities may have healthy beverage initiatives (HBIs) to encourage healthier choices on campus. This study aimed to assess how and how frequently PRCs included provisions related to health and nutrition to examine how PRCs may support or undermine HBIs. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: U.S. public universities with >20,000 students. Sample: 131 PRCs obtained from 124 of 143 universities in 2019-2020. Measures: Primary outcomes were the presence of provisions that could encourage or discourage promotion of healthy beverages (water, diet soda, unsweetened coffee or tea, and 100% juice), and any other provisions explicitly or implicitly referencing health or nutrition. Analysis: Descriptive statistics. Results: Twelve contracts (9%) had explicit commitments from the company or university to promote healthy beverages or adhere to nutrition standards, including five committing to support HBIs, four committing to healthy vending policies, and three describing activities to promote healthy beverage brands. Ten (8%) had provisions explicitly inhibiting water promotion and 55 (42%) had provisions that could be interpreted that way. Eleven (8%) included other health and nutrition provisions, such as funding for unspecified wellness activities. Conclusion: Most university beverage contracts did not expressly aim to support healthy choices, and more than half had provisions potentially limiting universities’ ability to implement HBIs. When present, nutrition standards were weak.