New York City bans large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, movie theaters - Polidicks

[url]http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/14/nyregion/health-board-approves-bloombergs-soda-ban.html[/url] [quote=New York Times]Seeking to reduce runaway obesity rates, the New York City Board of Health on Thursday approved a ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, street carts and movie theaters, the first restriction of its kind in the country. The measure, championed by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, is certain to intensify a growing national debate about soft drinks and obesity, and it could spur other cities to follow suit, even as many New Yorkers say they remain uneasy about the plan. “This is the single biggest step any city, I think, has ever taken to curb obesity,” Mr. Bloomberg said shortly after the vote. “It’s certainly not the last step that lots of cities are going to take, and we believe that it will help save lives.” The measure, which bars the sale of many sweetened drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces, is to take effect on March 12, unless it is blocked by a judge. The vote by the Board of Health was the only regulatory approval needed to make the ban binding in the city, but the American soft-drink industry has campaigned strongly against the measure and vowed this week to fight it through other means, possibly in the courts. “This is not the end,” Eliot Hoff, a spokesman for New Yorkers for Beverage Choices, a group financed by the soft-drink industry, which opposes the restrictions, said in an e-mail moments after the vote. “By imposing this ban, the board has shown no regard for public opinion or the consequences to businesses in the city,” Mr. Hoff wrote, noting a recent poll that showed 60 percent of New Yorkers believed the plan was a bad idea. Mr. Bloomberg is known for introducing ambitious — and, some say, overreaching — public health policies, like bans on smoking in bars and city parks and the posting of calorie counts on menus in chain restaurants; they often catch on around the country. Curbing obesity has been the latest goal of the mayor, who has been concerned about high rates of diabetes and weight-related health issues. More than half of adult New Yorkers are obese or overweight, according to the city’s health department, which said it believed 5,000 New Yorkers died every year as a result of health problems related to obesity. Critics of the mayor’s proposal — including some City Council members and a mayoral contender, the former city comptroller, William C. Thompson — said the measure could lead to small businesses losing money on sales. An advertising campaign by the soda industry, which has so far cost more than $1 million, stressed that the policy would restrict consumers’ freedom to buy beverages as they see fit. But those positions were rejected on Thursday by the board, which voted 8 to 0, with one abstention, to approve the measure. (The board has 11 members, all appointed by Mr. Bloomberg. One was absent from Thursday’s hearing and another retired from the board this summer and has not yet been replaced.) “I can’t imagine the board not acting on another problem that is killing 5,000 people per year,” said Dr. Joel A. Forman, a board member and professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, before voting in favor of the proposal. “The evidence strongly supports a relationship between sweet drinks and obesity.” Dr. Deepthiman K. Gowda, a professor of medicine at Columbia University and a member of the Board of Health, said he recognized that the public had concerns about the plan. But, he said, he had seen firsthand the deadly effect of obesity on patients he has treated in the city. “The same way that we’ve become acclimatized and normalized to sodas that are 32 ounces, we’ve started to become acclimatized to the prevalence of obesity in our society,” Dr. Gowda said. “The reality is, we are in a crisis, and I think we have to act on this.” The member who abstained, Sixto R. Caro, is a former president of the Spanish American Medical Dental Society of New York who was appointed by Mr. Bloomberg in 2002. He expressed concern that the plan did not do enough to lower obesity rates, and said the city should take a more holistic approach. Only establishments that receive inspection grades from the health department, including movie theaters and stadium concession stands, will be subject to the rules. Convenience stores, including 7-Eleven and its king-size Big Gulp drinks, would be exempt, along with vending machines and some newsstands. The restrictions would not affect fruit juices, dairy-based drinks like milkshakes, or alcoholic beverages; no-calorie diet sodas would not be affected, but establishments with self-service drink fountains, like many fast-food restaurants, would not be allowed to stock cups larger than 16 ounces. At a news conference on Thursday, Mr. Bloomberg announced that the Barclays Center, the new basketball arena in Brooklyn that is to open next week, would immediately begin complying with the new rules and offer sugary drinks only in containers of 16 ounces or less. Asked about the soda industry’s well-financed campaign against his plan, Mr. Bloomberg responded with an amused look. “I just spent roughly $600 million of my own money to try to stop the scourge of tobacco,” the mayor said, as a round of laughter began to rise in the room. “I’m looking for another cause. How much were they spending again?”[/quote]

What the fuck is this world coming too.

Guess I'll have to sneak food in? :v: call a satchel a purse and wear really baggy clothing no one will suspect a thing “This is the single biggest step any city, I think, has ever taken to curb obesity,” if that's the biggest step then... that's kind of... sad. “It’s certainly not the last step that lots of cities are going to take, and we believe that it will help save lives.” Pepsi cola killed my family.

Fuck you New York.

If anything, it's people's own consumption on such items. If they want to drink as much as they can, then let them have it. That's their own damn choice I honestly feel, whether it's good for them or not, it's all chosen. Some of these restrictions just seem silly in my personal view.

And it still won't work If they really wanted, they'd just buy two drinks

AMERICA - LAND OF THE FREE* [SUB]*unless you want to drink a lot of soda[/SUB]

Governments shouldn't have a say in what we eat and drink (with the exception of if the food is contaminated thus requiring a recall). This is a stupid move by the NYC board of health.

But the whole point of eating out is to spoil yourself, and give yourself something you don't have too often. But yes people abuse that privilege and you've got a fat fucking society who can't control themselves The best thing about cinema's though are the big soda's, oh man fuck you guys I feel like a coke now :(

[QUOTE=DrLuckyLuke;37658604]AMERICA - LAND OF THE FREE* [SUB]*unless you want to drink a lot of soda[/SUB][/QUOTE] [sub]*then you just have to buy a few more bottles[/sub]

Turning the country into a nanny state one bullshit law at a time.

I know this is encouraging healthy eating, but when you're eating out, you're supposed to be having a good time and not worrying about how many carbs this salad has.

You can still get 100oz of soda, you just have to make the conscious decision to buy several containers. Yet, for some reason, things that force people to be just a bit healthier are bad.

[url]http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-june-7-2012/jon-stewart-tries-to-figure-out-what-he-s-allowed-to-put-in-his-mouth[/url] Sums it up.

I was listening to my local radio station earlier this morning and they talked about it and it's flawed way because they're only banning the larger proportions of the beverages, the small ones are still up for sale. So you can still get as much of a soda as you would get with a large cup, the only downside to it would be if the place would charge you for refills.

[QUOTE=WhichStrider;37658590]If anything, it's people's own consumption on such items. If they want to drink as much as they can, then let them have it. That's their own damn choice I honestly feel, whether it's good for them or not, it's all chosen. Some of these restrictions just seem silly in my personal view.[/QUOTE] And that choice is usually fueled by impulse and subconscious wants. People who can't take care of themselves should be pushed in the right direction, even if methods such as this to do that are ineffective and stupid.

I have nothing wrong with this. The prices at movie theatres are a ripoff anyway.

[QUOTE=Draghosta;37658742][url]http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-june-7-2012/jon-stewart-tries-to-figure-out-what-he-s-allowed-to-put-in-his-mouth[/url] Sums it up.[/QUOTE] In New York, a proposed bill would levy a harsher monetary penalty for selling 16 ounces of soda than it would for carrying 25 grams of pot. [I]what[/I]

[QUOTE=WhichStrider;37658590]If anything, it's people's own consumption on such items. If they want to drink as much as they can, then let them have it. That's their own damn choice I honestly feel, whether it's good for them or not, it's all chosen. Some of these restrictions just seem silly in my personal view.[/QUOTE] I agree but because I'm sort of blazed I want to see this decision from a different perspective. What if they're doing this because most people lack self control (especially dietary control) meaning that if most people keep up their habits, most will then become obese at some point in time. Imagine a world population that is made up of 1/2 or 3/4 obese people. But alas this is my stoned rambling so take whatever I said with grain of salt.

I'd rather judges be able to order obese people to lose their weight as they do with sending alcoholics to rehab

legislation cannot solve every problem....

To be fair, mediums are the size of larges at some restaurants.

Government shouldn't be meddling into what we eat and drink. They should ensure its safe to eat and drink (as in not tainted with disease and such) and that's it. If people want to eat themselves into oblivion let them, and if their health care costs rise because of it so be it. If food is the reason why you're fat it's your own damn fault, and if you're not man enough to accept responsibility for it you can go be fat somewhere else.

Now people will have to stay inside to drink lots of soda. The obese people will in turn abandon all whimsical hope of a meaningful social experience, having been damned from the very places nurturing what little resolve they still maintained. Shattered by the loss of what seems like a dear friend they will retreat into their own homes, sulking, despondent, and hopeless. What could have been a wonderful evening with company turned into a tragic one with a different type of friend... The one they can only hold in private....

It's overpriced shit anyways. Movie theaters should allow people to bring in their own drinks and snacks. Does most of their revenue really come from selling over priced popcorn and drinks?

[QUOTE=MTSS;37658568]What the fuck is this world coming too.[/QUOTE] out of all the things that we do, this is the one thing that pushes you to ask that question? [editline]14th September 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=BenJammin';37658986]It's overpriced shit anyways. Movie theaters should allow people to bring in their own drinks and snacks. Does most of their revenue really come from selling over priced popcorn and drinks?[/QUOTE] apparently, movie theaters make very little actual profit from ticket sales, so yes.

As a fat guy who loves his soda, maybe I'm a bit biased; but really I don't think this is right for the Government to do. I'm trying to drink less soda in an effort to lose weight, and it's availability in restaurants wouldn't stop me when I can go home and drink 2 or 3 cans. I'm fine if they want to slap a warning on sodas like cigarettes warning people how too much can lead to obesity and other health risks, I think it'd be a more effective deterrent then this. No one likes to be reminded of health risks.

Blows my mind that people have a problem with this

Just out of interest, what is "large" in this context? I have seen some photos of stupid sized drinks.

[QUOTE=Jsm;37659157]Just out of interest, what is "large" in this context? I have seen some photos of stupid sized drinks.[/QUOTE] 16 ounces. Or less than a plastic bottle.