Mayor Bloomerg is taking away NYC’s big gulps and ‘supersizing’, in an attempt to curb the city’s overweight and obese population. NYC officials are proposing banning the sale of large-size sodas and other sugary beverages at restaurants, food carts, and many other establishments. Anything larger than 16 ounces will be gone from the menu.
“More than half of NYC adults (58%) are overweight or obese,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg tweeted Thursday. “We’re doing something about it.”
The New York City Department of Health will submit the measure to the Board of Health on June 12, according to CNN.
“The single largest driver of these alarming increases in obesity is sugary drinks, which have grown in size. If approved, the city’s proposal would take effect six months after Board of Health approval and would be enforced by the city’s regular restaurant inspection team,” a statement from Bloomberg’s office said. “Restaurant owners will have nine months from the adoption of the proposal until they face fines.”
“This is something we think we have the legal authority to do. We¹re not taking away anybody’s right to do something; we’re simply making it different for them in how they do it.” Bloomberg said, adding that he hopes the move will help lead to different behaviors.
Critics of the proposed ban argue that sugary drinks are not the cause of obesity, and that banning a certain size of the beverage is “arbitrary” and “misguided”.
“There they go again,” Stefan Friedman, a spokesman for the New York City Beverage Association, said in a statement Thursday. “The New York City Health Department’s unhealthy obsession with attacking soft drinks is again pushing them over the top. The city is not going to address the obesity issue by attacking soda because soda is not driving the obesity rates.”
A statement from the Coca-Cola company said the “people of New York City are much smarter than the New York City Health Department believes. … New Yorkers expect and deserve better than this. They can make their own choices about the beverages they purchase. We hope New Yorkers loudly voice their disapproval about this arbitrary mandate.”
Bottom line: Many people don’t realize how many calories beverages can contribute to their daily intake. One 16-ounce serving of soda contains nearly 200 calories and more sugar than your average candy bar – and that’s usually considered a small at most fast food restaurants! Just imagine how many calories are in those large and supersized orders!
The American Heart Association has recommended a consumption goal of no more than 450 kilocalories of sugar-sweetened beverages — fewer than three 12-ounce cans of carbonated cola — per week!
So really, who needs more than 16 ounces of soda at a time?
