Life may soon be a little less sweet for city employees in Boston, as officials consider the idea of curbing — or even completely cutting — sales of sugary drinks on city-owned property.

There is no specific proposal, reports the Boston Globe, but a panel of “influential health, education, and housing leaders” has been convened to brainstorm ways to shrink the amount of sugar being consumed by city employees.

“Somebody has to take a stand,” a member of the panel tells the Globe. “And if it isn’t the government and health care institutions leading the way to a healthier lifestyle, who’s going to do it?”

The city’s top health official, Barbara Ferrer, tells the paper that it’s not going to be easy to sway consumers’ minds on this topic:

I think we’re going to run into a big issue of people saying, ‘Why would you take away our sodas, why are you interfering with what we’re eating and drinking?’ … Unlike tobacco that is always harmful and if a person is smoking in the workplace it harms other people, I think people will look at sugar-sweetened beverages differently.

A rep for the American Beverage Association took a sip of his Pepsi Max and then told the Globe:

Outright bans, they do nothing to teach people about balance and moderation. It’s overly simplistic and inaccurate to target one product or one ingredient when it comes to obesity.

San Francisco already has a ban in place, while New York City has issued restrictions that significantly cut back on the amount of sugary drinks sold in vending machines in municipal buildings.

Before Boston goes and does something rash, they should check out this poll, where nearly 60% of readers said they were more loyal to their brand of soda (or cola, or pop) than they were to their employer.

City may curb sales of sugary beverages [Boston.com]

Thanks to Hoss for the tip!

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