Parents will soon receive a little extra help in keeping their children away from sugary soft drinks that can lead to childhood obesity and dental cavities.

In a deal announced Wednesday by the William J. Clinton Foundation, the nation's largest beverage distributors agreed to stop selling non-diet sodas in most public schools, where childhood obesity has become an increasing concern.

"It's like a bombshell. . . . It's so remarkable, what a wonderful step forward," said Patricia Jones, D-Cottonwood Heights, who has been fighting to get junk food out of school vending machines for nearly four years. "It's something parents have wanted for a long time, and I think (beverage distributors) saw the writing on the wall, and hopefully they saw the harm that it is doing to our kids."

Under the agreement, diet soda that contains less than 10 calories per serving would still be sold in public high schools but only unsweetened juice, low-fat milk and water would be sold in elementary and middle schools.

The new rules will apply to beverages sold on school grounds during the regular school day and at after-school activities such as band and choir practice. Soda sales at events such as school plays, band concerts and sporting events, where adults are a significant portion of the audience, won't be affected.

The companies will work to implement the changes at 75 percent of public and private schools with which they have contracts before the 2008-09 school year, and at all of the schools a year later.

In Utah, Wasatch and Ogden school districts have already blazed the way in healthy vending. Their policies limit junk foods in vending machines. Wasatch made the move a couple of years ago to take unhealthy foods and drinks out of vending machines. Ogden tweaked its policy last month to offer more healthy options in the machines.

"I think that kids are interested in their own heath and they are seeing the effects of poor nutrition choices all around them," Ogden spokeswoman Debbie Hefner said. "If they have healthy options, some will take them."

Over the past few years, a few bills have surfaced in the Utah Legislature aimed at restricting junk food in school vending machines but none have passed.

Vending machines are only available in about 5 percent of Utah elementary schools, but they are found in 37 percent of grade schools nationally, Jones said.

"You can see the trend was going the wrong way. . . . I hope this puts a lid on it, and it's just wonderful to have healthy foods offered," she said.

Luann Elliot, director of child nutrition at the State Office of Education, said most high school students will still be able to go off campus to get sodas but many will buy what is convenient and available in vending machines.