Viewed as an important first step in beginning a dialogue in reducing New York City’s soaring obesity rate Mayor Bloomberg stepped forward with a new plan to put into march a ban on the sale of 20 oz. cups in all restaurants, street carts and movie theaters? The standard size cup now is 12 oz. and this ban will only negate the sale of 20 oz. size cups.
This ban will have an affect on the entire menu of popular sugary drinks now found in sporting events, delis and fast food franchises and targets everything from sweetened iced teas to energy drinks and set its limits on anything larger than 16 oz.
This ban will not have an affect on dairy based drinks, diet sodas, booze or diet sodas and will not extend to beverages distributed in convenience or grocery stores. “Obesity is a nationwide problem, and all over the United States, public health officials are wringing their hands saying, ‘Oh, this is terrible,’ ” Mr. Bloomberg stated in an interview on Wednesday in City Hall’s sprawling Governor’s Room, he continued, “New York City is not about wringing your hands; it’s about doing something,” he said. “I think that’s what the public wants the mayor to do.” Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal requires the approval of the Board of Health, which is a step that is considered likely because the members are all appointed by him, and the board’s chairman is the city’s health commissioner, who joined the mayor in supporting the measure on Wednesday.
In the past Mayor Bloomberg has made public health one of his top priorities and has attacked successfully other public health issues like enforcing smoking bans in restaurants and parks and headed a war against trans fat in restaurant food. Mr. Bloomberg is not the first to take measure like this as many cities have also banned the sale of soda in public buildings and have also banned the sale of soda in school. In , a place where more than half of adults are obese or overweight, New York City the health commissioner, Dr. Thomas Farley, blames sweetened drinks for up to half of the increase in city obesity rates over the last 30 years. Dr. Farley said the city had seen higher obesity rates in neighborhoods where soda consumption was more common. Around half of New Yorkers drink one or more sugary drinks a day, according to the city.
This ban is set to take off in March of 2013.
