Boarding schools in Beijing will be banned from selling soda drinks in cafeterias and stores inside campuses this year, part of an effort to encourage students to eat healthy food, the city's health authority said.

The Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning said on Wednesday that it will launch a campaign to establish "health cafeterias" in all schools to improve students' nutritional balance.

"Problems such as obesity have haunted parents and children, and the solution starts with controlling what they eat," said Du Hong, deputy head of disease control at the commission.