The soft drink ban law that was passed by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg might soon come to other cities and states as several candidates for the Washington D.C. council are already in favor of enacting a similar soda ban according to a March 2, 2013, KPopStarz report.
“New York City is not the only city that is taking on a sugar ban. Several candidates for the Washington D.C council are in favor of a enacting a soda ban if elected. “
The soft drink ban law that will take effect in New York City on March 12, 2013, applies to soft drinks and other sugar drinks that are over 16 ounces. The ban does not extend to diet soda or fruit juices.
After the soft drink ban goes into effect, New York City’s restaurants, food carts, concession stands, and movie theaters will no longer be allowed to sell soft drinks in 16-ounce containers. The soft drink ban does not extend to grocery stores.
“In an effort to combat obesity, the New York City Board of Health voted to ban the sale of large sugary drinks. The controversial measure bars the sale of sugar drinks larger than 16 ounces at restaurants and concessions.”
Mayor Bloomberg has been fighting New York City’s obesity rate which is currently at 58 percent for the past 11 years. By passing the soft drink ban law and cutting down on the amount of soft drinks that a person gets served in one container, New York City’s mayor is hoping to discourage people from consuming too much soda.
But what is the point? Now people can just buy two 8-ounce containers and get the same amount of soft drink as before.
“We’re just trying to encourage you and educate you that this is probably not the greatest thing for you, and all of the research done shows that portion control really does work,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
In 2012, Mayor Bloomberg commented that "It's time to face the facts: Obesity is one of America's most deadly problems, and sugary beverages are a leading cause of it."
Even though Mayor Bloomberg’s soft drink ban law has sparked a lot of controversy and the law has been challenged in court, no judge has agreed to rule against it.
In addition, the fact that several candidates for the Washington D.C. council are also already in favor of enacting a similar soda ban might be an indication that this is not just the beginning of a soft drink ban in New York City but that the ban will soon come to other cities and states nationwide.
Does Mayor Bloomberg have a point? Will limiting the size of a soft drink wake up people to the nationwide obesity problem? And will people drink less if the soft drink container is smaller?
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