New York City is initiating new restrictions on giant soft-drinks sold in restaurants, movie theaters, and other retail locations….because they’re making us FAT!

Libertarians won’t like this government intervention, and Pepsi addicts won’t either, but it’s probably best for America.  How often do you dump the balance of your fast-food drink down the drain anyway?  The servings are too big, and saving the sugary mixture all day is not appetizing either.  The Kitchen Cabinet applauds NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg for starting a trend which is good for kids and adults.  Here are the details from The New York Times:

“New York City plans to enact a far-reaching ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, movie theaters and street carts, in the most ambitious effort yet by the Bloomberg administration to combat rising obesity.

The proposed ban would affect virtually the entire menu of popular sugary drinks found in delis, fast-food franchises and even sports arenas, from energy drinks to pre-sweetened iced teas. The sale of any cup or bottle of sweetened drink larger than 16 fluid ounces — about the size of a medium coffee, and smaller than a common soda bottle — would be prohibited under the first-in-the-nation plan, which could take effect as soon as next March.

The measure would not apply to dietsodas, fruit juices, dairy-based drinks like milkshakes, or alcoholic beverages; it would not extend to beverages sold in grocery or convenience stores.”

In New York City alone, at least half of its citizens are overweight or obese.  Soft drinks are given a giant share of the blame.  For this reason school districts across the nation prohibit sodas on campus. Not surprisingly, soft drink manufacturers….don’t like it:

“The New York City health department’s unhealthy obsession with attacking soft drinks is again pushing them over the top,” the industry spokesman, Stefan Friedman, said. “It’s time for serious health professionals to move on and seek solutions that are going to actually curb obesity. These zealous proposals just distract from the hard work that needs to be done on this front.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/nyregion/bloomberg-plans-a-ban-on-large-sugared-drinks.html?_r=1

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Filed under: Economy, Featured, Inside The KC, Politics by Sonja Eddings Brown, May 31, 2012