Because there are apparently not bigger issues facing New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration has proposed a ban on sugary drinks larger than 16 oz.
“Obesity is a nationwide problem, and all over the United States, public health officials are wringing their hands saying, ‘Oh, this is terrible,’ ” said Bloomberg. “New York City is not about wringing your hands; it’s about doing something.”
The ban would apply to non-diet soda, fruit drinks with less than 70% juice content, coffee or tea that has been sweetened. Drinks with fewer than 25 calories per 8 oz. would be allowed.
Grocery stores, vending machines and newsstands would be exempted from the ban, but movie theaters, stadiums, delis, and food carts would have to follow the new guidelines.
Fast food restaurants would be limited to handing out 16 oz. cups, regardless of whether the drink is diet. Though they could continue to offer free refills.
The administration believes it has the right to regulate soda sales at these establishments because they fall under the umbrella of the city’s health department.
A rep for the New York City Beverage Association tells the NY Times:
The New York City health department’s unhealthy obsession with attacking soft drinks is again pushing them over the top… 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.
Mayor Bloomberg says that his plan doesn’t take away consumer choice because consumers still have the choice to simply buy more sodas.
“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,” he explained. “I don’t think you can make the case that we’re taking things away.”
The mayor also suggested that businesses who will be hurt by the lack of sales of larger drinks should just charge more for the smaller ones.
New York Plans to Ban Sale of Big Sizes of Sugary Drinks [NY Times]
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Yet another reason why we need to severely reduce the size and power of government! There is no moral or Constitutional reason why the government should tell you what size of beverage you are allowed to drink. If I want a freakin’ 20 oz sweet tea, I should be able to use the money that I earned through the sweat of my brow to buy a freakin’ 20 oz sweet tea.
If you think this Nanny State interference with your individual Liberty is bad, wait until we get Socialized healthcare (ObamaCare)! Then we will have given the government complete control over your daily life. The government can not only tell you what size of beverage you are permitted to drink, but can tell you what can and cannot drink and what you can and cannot eat.
If I want to eat nothing but Oreos with a tub of trans-fats and wash it down with 64 oz sweet tea, then that is my right as a free American. The government has no business telling me otherwise.
You got the wrong idea of Obamacare. First of all the total plan has not been hammered out so no one knows what it would contain! Secondly, you are ALREADY paying taxes for those indigents, homeless, uninsured, etc who go to your health dept and hospital. It doesn’t matter if you pay locally or on the national level- you are already paying in some fashion or form for those who don’t pay, so get off Obama’s back! And, if you watch tv you would hear hospitals say that emergency room waits would not be so long as people would have insurance to use the doctor for problems instead of using the emergency room. Lastly, there are those who can afford insurance and DONT pay as they figure, let the system take care of me for free= the new way- let them pay for themselves instead of being mooches on tax payers! You and others got this Obama insurance plan all wrong!
This is dumb. I dont think New Yorkers will stand for it. Will they next require you to get 2 regular slices of pizza instead of the NY jumbo slice? Or a reasonable amount of meat at Kat’s Deli? Or 2 street gyros instead of one large one from those carts? Unhealthy, cheap, ridiculously large and tasty food is what NYC is all about.
New York is turning into a Communist Dictatorship just a little faster than the rest of the Country.
You will not control Obesity with STUPID LAWS like this thought up by IDIOTS IMO.
What will happen is the vendors will benefit with more $$$$s from extra sales of the smaller sizes until they have to pay extra to cleanup the spills from people trying to carry all the small cups.
Obesity is caused by many things but not really because of the size of a drink.
We have become a Lazy Society that doesn’t want or need to work hard for a living which is a key part of a healthy body thanks in part to Government policies.
It is also extremely cheap to eat Junk Un-Healthy (IMO) food approved by the Government as healthy compared to eating healthy nutritious food. Trust me I know since we eat very Healthy
Look now it is easier to live off the working class than to actually work.
Incidentally: I am not Obese by any stretch of the imagination 6′ tall 174 lbs
I remember as a kid it was highly unusual to see an overweight person but now it is more unusual to see a normal healthy weighted person.
So before we blame a Cup Size we should look at the real sources of the Obesity Epidemic.
With all the problems a big city can have, I just can’t understand why Bloomberg would concern himself with the size of soda servings. I don’t think NYC government needs to control what people eat and drink. Let adults decide for themselves. If a person is overweight and wants to drink a large amount of soda, well- let ‘em! It’s their choice as much as it is a smoker to smoke, etc! We all have bad habits and you can’t regulate us to death over all of them- especially soda!