September 13, 2012- UPDATE: Today, the New York Board of Health voted to ban the sale of sugary soft drinks in portions larger than 16 ounces.
“Thursday’s decision is expected to take effect in six months and be enforced by the city’s regular restaurant inspection team, allowing restaurant owners nine months to adapt to the changes before facing fines,” CNN reported.
“6 months from today, our city will be an even healthier place,” Bloomberg tweeted on Thursday.
May 31, 2012- On Thursday, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg tweeted, “More than half of NYC adults (58%) are overweight or obese, we’re going to do something about it.”
CNN reports that New York officials are planning a ban on super sized sugary beverages at restaurants, food carts and any other vendors that receive a good grade by the health department.
If passed, the ban would outlaw sugary beverages over 16 ounces– the size of a small soft drink at McDonalds.
The proposed ban will be submitted by the New York Department of Health on June 12, 2012. The proposal will be followed by a three-month comment period before the final vote.
“If approved, the city’s proposal would take effect six months after Board of Health approval and would be enforced by the city’s regular restaurant inspection team,” a statement from Bloomberg’s office said. “Restaurant owners will have nine months from the adoption of the proposal until they face fines.”
According to CNN, New York City spends $4 billion a year on the medical care for its obese residents.
The McDonald’s corporation reacted to the proposed ban saying, “Public health issues cannot be effectively addressed through a narrowly focused and misguided ban. This is a complex topic, and one that requires a more collaborative and comprehensive approach.”
Stefan Friedman, a spokesman for the New York City Beverage Association, agrees and said in a statement Thursday to CNN, “There they go again. “The New York City Health Department’s unhealthy obsession with attacking soft drinks is again pushing them over the top. The city is not going to address the obesity issue by attacking soda because soda is not driving the obesity rates.”
In a report this month, the nonprofit Institute of Medicine said, despite the “difficulty of quantifying relative contributions to the obesity epidemic, researchers have found strong associations between intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain. Although the exact mechanisms of how sugar-sweetened beverages contribute to obesity are not fully known, their link to obesity is stronger than that observed for any other food or beverage,” CNN reported.
We all know that soft drinks are bad for you, but many will find a way to get around the ban if it’s passed.
Drivers, what do you think? Will the ban help combat obesity, or will people simply opt to order two?
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Effects of Soda on the Body
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http://cdllife2018.wpengine.com/2012/health/effects-of-soda-on-the-body/.
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Making Good Food Choices on the Road
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http://cdllife2018.wpengine.com/2012/food-diet/making-good-food-choices-on-the-road/.
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Death by Coca Cola
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http://cdllife2018.wpengine.com/2012/uncategorized/death-by-coca-cola/.
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