DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... New York Plans to Ban Sale of Big Sizes of Sugary Drinks

New York City plans to enact a far-reaching ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, movie theaters and street carts, in the most ambitious effort yet by the Bloomberg administration to combat rising obesity.

The proposed ban would affect virtually the entire menu of popular sugary drinks found in delis, fast-food franchises and even sports arenas, from energy drinks to pre-sweetened iced teas. The sale of any cup or bottle of sweetened drink larger than 16 fluid ounces — about the size of a medium coffee, and smaller than a common soda bottle — would be prohibited under the first-in-the-nation plan, which could take effect as soon as next March.

The measure would not apply to diet sodas, fruit juices, dairy-based drinks like milkshakes, or alcoholic beverages; it would not extend to beverages sold in grocery or convenience stores.

“Obesity is a nationwide problem, and all over the United States, public health officials are wringing their hands saying, ‘Oh, this is terrible,’ ” Mr. Bloomberg said in an interview on Wednesday in the Governor’s Room at City Hall.

“New York City is not about wringing your hands; it’s about doing something,” he said. “I think that’s what the public wants the mayor to do.”

A spokesman for the New York City Beverage Association, an arm of the soda industry’s national trade group, criticized the city’s proposal on Wednesday. The industry has clashed repeatedly with the city’s health department, saying it has unfairly singled out soda; industry groups have bought subway advertisements promoting their cause.

“The New York City health department’s unhealthy obsession with attacking soft drinks is again pushing them over the top,” the industry spokesman, Stefan Friedman, said. “It’s time for serious health professionals to move on and seek solutions that are going to actually curb obesity. These zealous proposals just distract from the hard work that needs to be done on this front.”

Mr. Bloomberg’s proposal requires the approval of the Board of Health, a step that is considered likely because the members are all appointed by him, and the board’s chairman is the city’s health commissioner, who joined the mayor in supporting the measure on Wednesday.

Mr. Bloomberg has made public health one of the top priorities of his lengthy tenure, and has championed a series of aggressive regulations, including bans on smoking in restaurants and parks, a prohibition against artificial trans fat in restaurant food and a requirement for health inspection grades to be posted in restaurant windows.

The measures have led to occasional derision of the mayor as Nanny Bloomberg, by those who view the restrictions as infringements on personal freedom. But many of the measures adopted in New York have become models for other cities, including restrictions on smoking and trans fats, as well as the use of graphic advertising to combat smoking and soda consumption, and the demand that chain restaurants post calorie contents next to prices.

In recent years, soda has emerged as a battleground in efforts to counter obesity. Across the nation, some school districts have banned the sale of soda in schools, and some cities have banned the sale of soda in public buildings.

In New York City, where more than half of adults are obese or overweight, Dr. Thomas Farley, the health commissioner, blames sweetened drinks for up to half of the increase in city obesity rates over the last 30 years. About a third of New Yorkers drink one or more sugary drinks a day, according to the city. Dr. Farley said the city had seen higher obesity rates in neighborhoods where soda consumption was more common.

The ban would not apply to drinks with fewer than 25 calories per 8-ounce serving, like zero-calorie Vitamin Waters and unsweetened iced teas, as well as diet sodas.

Restaurants, delis, movie theater and ballpark concessions would be affected, because they are regulated by the health department. Carts on sidewalks and in Central Park would also be included, but not vending machines or newsstands that serve only a smattering of fresh food items.

At fast-food chains, where sodas are often dispersed at self-serve fountains, restaurants would be required to hand out cup sizes of 16 ounces or less, regardless of whether a customer opts for a diet drink. But free refills — and additional drink purchases — would be allowed.

Corner stores and bodegas would be affected if they are defined by the city as “food service establishments.” Those stores can most easily be identified by the health department letter grades they are required to display in their windows.

The mayor, who said he occasionally drank a diet soda “on a hot day,” contested the idea that the plan would limit consumers’ choices, saying the option to buy more soda would always be available.

“Your argument, I guess, could be that it’s a little less convenient to have to carry two 16-ounce drinks to your seat in the movie theater rather than one 32 ounce,” Mr. Bloomberg said in a sarcastic tone. “I don’t think you can make the case that we’re taking things away.”

He also said he foresaw no adverse effect on local businesses, and he suggested that restaurants could simply charge more for smaller drinks if their sales were to drop.

The Bloomberg administration had made previous, unsuccessful efforts to make soda consumption less appealing. The mayor supported a state tax on sodas, but the measure died in Albany, and he tried to restrict the use of food stamps to buy sodas, but the idea was rejected by federal regulators.

With the new proposal, City Hall is now trying to see how much it can accomplish without requiring outside approval. Mayoral aides say they are confident that they have the legal authority to restrict soda sales, based on the city’s jurisdiction over local eating establishments, the same oversight that allows for the health department’s letter-grade cleanliness rating system for restaurants.

In interviews at the AMC Loews Village, in the East Village in Manhattan, some filmgoers said restricting large soda sales made sense to them.

“I think it’s a good idea,” said Sara Gochenauer, 21, a personal assistant from the Upper West Side. Soda, she said, “rots your teeth.”

But others said consumers should be free to choose.

“If people want to drink 24 ounces, it’s their decision,” said Zara Atal, 20, a college student from the Upper East Side.

Lawrence Goins, 50, a postal worker who lives in Newark, took a more pragmatic approach.

“Some of those movies are three, three and a half hours long,” Mr. Goins said. “You got to quench your thirst.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/nyregion/bloomberg-plans-a-ban-on-large-sugared-drinks.html?_r=1

Bloomberg is an idiot.

Saw this reported on TV this morning..

I understand the goal here. But I'm not sure he has the right to make such a law banning a particular size drink.. and I'm not sure if it has to be voted on that it should pass

As a diabetic I can't drink that stuff anyway, but I wouldn't tell someone that they can't buy one.

I like Bloomberg,, I hear from friends in the city that he's been a pretty good mayor.. But this is kinda overreaching I think.

Just saw this on another site. I'l say here what I said there:

This is Pure Idiocy.

Totally stupid.

It probably will do nothing but raise the amount of trash that NYC needs to export as people just buy two or three 16-ounce cups of soda rather than one big one.

jc..

Maybe they should just close all Manhattan streets to traffic and make it a pedestrian and bicycle only city, and force people to exercise.

Wow... I'm impressed that NYC doesn't have bigger problems to solve than this one! Bravo New York!

The Nanny State strikes again.

People just aren't smart enough to make decisions for themselves, so we'll do it for them .......

I wonder when we reach the point where people just aren't smart enough to vote, so whoever's in office just has to remain in office .... you know ..... "for the public's own good".

As long as they don't take away my big Arnold Palmer's Ice Teas, I will be ok.

Quote:

---

The measure would not apply to diet sodas

---

"Can I get a Large Coke?"

"Sorry, we're legally not allowed to sell that to you.."

"Ok, A Large Diet Coke then..."

*Goes and fills cup up with regular Coke*

I can't wait till "Coke Dealer Sentenced to Life without Parole" is a NY Times headline for all the wrong reasons...

j/c

just watched the movie Serenity last night and it's pretty funny how easily we can get to such a state of the government telling us what to do, how to act, etc.

Let me give a timeline of the future...

Obamacare in full force
It costs more money than expected
We can't afford it
Laws are enacted to discourage risky behaviors, such as riding motorcycles, and poor nutrition, such as 17 ounce colas, in the spirit of saving money on healthcare

It is in stone if Obamacare survives the Supreme Court and Obama wins the presidency.

No kidding.

Coke isn't the reason we are fat.....we are lazy and raise wimpy kids who sit around all day playing video games rather than be out climbing the tallest tree they can find or wrestling with the kid down the street.


"Don't go outside Johnny, you might get hurt. Go play some video games downstairs while I fix you a couple of hotdogs and some chips."


We are a country of morons.

j/c

Let me see if I have this right: It is legal to have an abortion as it's the "woman's body and her right".............but we can't drink too much pop?

Hmmm........

So, what a woman does with her body is her business if it involves killing a baby - but she's not allowed to buy more than a 16 oz bottle of pop cause it's bad for her.

Got it.

All I can say is that it is about time someone does this...

Obesity is an epidemic in this country and sugar/calories need to be regulated. Sugary drinks and super-sized pops are this generations crack cocaine....and we need to crackdown (no pun intended).

We need a War on unhealthy drinks and snacks. Zero Tolerance, Three Strikes and you're out!!!

Obesity is a public health crisis. Heart disease remains as one of the top killers in this country, and we need to take every measure to protect our children from these insidious products.

Polar Pops for a treat--you mind as well stick a needle in your child's arm, because you are killing him.....

I'm sure if we blast this issue out in the media it will become a major talking point for the next few elections...

Worried About The Soda Ban? Fear Not, Bloomberg to Support ‘National Donut Day’ Tomorrow [Video]

By Colin Campbell 5/31 3:44pm

?

At Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s press conference touting his efforts to stop the sale of large soft drinks in restaurants, one reporter in attendance brought up the interesting fact that his administration also supporting “National Donut Day” tomorrow and inquired as to whether that muddled the mayor’s message on the issue.

Indeed, at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow morning, Entenmann’s will be unveiling “Custom-made Entenmann’s large donuts, 1-foot in diameter” at Madison Square Park at the same time they unveil a “Proclamation Letter by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.”

“The work of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reflects the mayor’s public health agenda,” Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs said about the possible donut conflict. “The message is that we will do what we need in our official capacity to protect the health of New Yorkers.”

“The celebratory events, the naming days in honor of individuals or items, or frivolities that are fun and [bring] exceptional joy are quite distinct from a public health agenda,” she added.

web page

Oh - so bloomberg gets his cake and gets to eat it also, huh? The "do as I mandate, but don't look at me" thing.

What hypocrisy.

J/C

Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Soon to be renamed "The Reeducation Center".

The change is coming.To a co-operative near you.

Yeah as NY when I was there on a mission trip twice, we don't pay for taxes after meals. And that we only had to get water if we tried to get a soda for our drinks. That may have a lot to do with it.

Mayor Bloomberg can take the large soda from my ice cold dead hands. - Mike Birbiglia

I don't know how many people are out there eating a birthday cake every single day, but your point is well taken.

I don't care what other people eat or drink, either. I just happen to think that soda is probably the most unhealthy diet "staple" around. My statement of "drink water..." wasn't an order, it was a suggestion.

Government should be involved in making sure people on food stamps can only buy healthy options if they want to pester anyone ..... but that's the last group they'll pursue.