NEW YORK, May 3 (Xinhua) -- The nation's biggest beverage distributors have agreed to halt nearly all sales of sodas to public schools, announced former president Bill Clinton here Wednesday.

    The Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association have brokered a deal with the country's largest beverage distributors to sell lower-calorie and nutritious drinks only in schools.

    This will expand to the whole nation an initiative well underway in New York City to ban most soft drinks in public schools.

    "Cadbury-Schweppes, Coca Cola, PepsiCo and the American Beverage Association have agreed to new guidelines limited the portion sizes and reducing the number of calories available to children through their products during the school day," said Clinton.

    Elementary students will only be served water, eight-ounce servings of low-calorie juices, and fat-free, low-fat, regular and flavored milk. None of the products will have added sweeteners.

    Middle schools will have the same standards, except larger portion sizes of 10 ounces. High Schools will still be able to serve diet sodas, flavored water, unsweetened teas, and low-calorie sports drinks.

    Seventy-five percent of public and private schools nationwide will adhere to the standards by 2008, with the rest of the schools set to comply by the following year.

    A ban on soda is already in effect in New York city's public schools.

    Dozens of states have considered legislation on school nutrition this year. Lawmakers in Connecticut voted last week to prohibit schools from selling regular and diet soda as well as electrolyte replacement drinks such as Gatorade. Enditem