Should Sodas & Sugary Drinks Carry Warning Labels Like Tobacco Products?

What if sodas and other sugary drinks came bearing warning labels about the risk of obesity and other health effects, not unlike tobacco products? That’s the idea one advocacy group is promoting, saying consumers should know “the truth” about those products and decide whether or not to drink them.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest brought together health professionals and experts for a sort of soda summit this week, with advocates saying the same kind of warning labels on cigarettes should be used in the beverage industry, reports the AFP.

The proposed labels would read:”Drinking beverages with added sugar contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay.”

“This is about transparency, telling the truth about these products and let the consumers decide by themselves,” said one of the doctors, who called for passage of a California bill that would require those labels on sugary drinks.

That bill is past the state senate already. California would be the first state to adopt such a rule.

“Give people the information at least,” the doctor adds. “Once they have the information, then they will be ready for more.”

Soda war activists look to tobacco as model [AFP]

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