Earlier this year, the New York City Board of Health announced that full-calorie sodas (and other sugary drinks) larger than 16 oz. would be unwelcome in restaurants, delis and other businesses regulated by the Board. On Friday, the groups that would likely feel the sting of such a ban — soda companies, restaurant owners and the like — sued to try to ban the ban.

The plaintiffs, which includes the American Beverage Association and the National Restaurant Association, claim that the city overstepped its authority by trying to dictate eating habits to consumers.

“[The rule] unfairly harms small businesses at a time when we can ill afford it,” alleges the complaint.

The mayor’s office, which has held that the obesity epidemic is a public health concern and that the big soda ban is aimed at keeping people healthy and out of emergency rooms, called the lawsuit, “predictable, yet baseless.”

Industry files lawsuit to block NYC crackdown on sugary drinks [Associated Press]

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