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Bloomberg’s Ban on Large Sodas Becomes Law

NY1

The city Board of Health today has approved Mayor Michael Bloomberg‘s plan to ban large sugary drinks. The panel voted 8-0 with one abstention this morning in favor of the plan to prohibit restaurants, movie theaters and other establishments from selling sugar-filled drinks larger than 16 ounces. All members of the board were appointed by the mayor.

The mayor and Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley say the plan will cut down on obesity in the city.

Opponents say the ban will hurt businesses and that they plan to continue the fight in court.

Speaking to reporters at City Hall, Mayor Bloomberg blasted the use of the word “ban” and says the new measure will only benefit the health of New Yorkers.

“Nobody’s banning anything and that’s why sometimes the polls are very misleading because you asked the question, ‘How do you like a ban on sodas?’ We’re not banning anything . It’s a little bit inconvenient perhaps to carry two sodas back and our hope is that you’ll only carry one back. And that’s the whole idea,” Bloomberg said.

“This passed today as we expected and we’re looking into every option including a lawsuit. For us, this is a mile marker in a marathon race. We’re looking forward to March and looking to see what we can do between now and March to stop this from being implemented,” said Eliot Hoff of New Yorkers for Beverage Choices.

New Yorkers who spoke with NY1 were mixed on the measure’s passing.

“There is overwhelming opposition to banning larger sized sugary drinks. New Yorkers feel that we’re educated. We can make our own decisions and this will have no impact on obesity,” said one New Yorker.

“That’s my choice, isn’t it, if I want a large soda or not?” said another New Yorker.

“Sugar-wise, you gotta look at diabetes. There’s a big, big problem there. So, I think it’s a good idea,” said a third New Yorker.

The ban will take effect in March of next year.

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15 Comments

  • Members of board elected by mayor

    Sounds very democratic that all the members were appointed by the mayor. And they all voted in favor! Sounds like something out of the history of Stalin????

  • anon

    What will New Yorkers do now for their sugar fix? What should out of towners do? Bring their own Big Gulp? Can we at least get refills? What in the world is he thinking, your Mayor….? He just keeps getting weirder and weirder..and we thought California was the weirdest place of all…..not so anymore!

  • what is wrong with you pple?

    16 ounces is HUGE in itself, if I was mayor I would have banned all soda all together. Its a sugary horrible absolutely nothing good about it drink that should be illegal.

  • Dont know what you are complaining about

    But you dont see any mayors anywhere caring about the health and cleanliness of a city like bloomberg. you can go into any bar in new york city without having to come out choking on 2nd hand smoke because of the no smoke in doors law. plus raising the price on cigarettes so that people smoke less as well. i wish i had bloomberg as my mayor.

  • Astonishing!

    The government has no right to govern the amount of soda we drink. That’s not within their jurisdiction, and it’s entirely unconstitutional. This does not sound like America, the land of the free. Where are our basic rights to freedom?

    If you don’t like the fact that people are gulping down buckets of soda at 7-11, don’t do it yourself. But how can anyone justify making a law out of this? The way it looks, soon the government is going to put the entire nation on an enforceable diet (especially with the existence of benefit programs like MedicAid)!

    Americans have proved themselves to be extremely shallow, naive, and overly trusting of our government – to play dice and make our choices for us. What’s next? Their going to gather all the fat kids, put them all on buses, and take them away to their FEMA rehab camps…

  • DeClasse- Intellectual

    If the government is so concerned with the health of its citizens, why doesnot Bloomberg administration ban apertaine which is one chemical bond away from petroleum aor how about processed food–you see see some of the numbers for sodium–the package instant noodle soup will do you more harm than an extra large drink once in a whiel.

  • Milhouse

    #10, there is NO evidence that there is anything at all unhealthy about aspartame. None at all. Who cares what it’s a chemical bond away from?

    And processing food makes it better. We don’t eat raw wheat, we grind it and knead it and ferment it and bake it; that’s all chemical processing. There’s no reason to think unprocessed food is healthier than processed.

  • Milhouse

    #9, it’s none of the government’s business, but it’s not unconstitutional. The city has a broad police power, and can poke its nose into all sorts of things where it has no legitimate business. The constitution doesn’t say it can’t, so it can; that doesn’t mean it should. This is a bad regulation, but there’s no point in challenging it in court; let’s just hope the next mayor’s board of health changes its mind.

  • tax

    it wont deter anything. If your thirsty for a sugery drink, you just buy 2, 16 oz drinks. Then pay double the price, and the city gets more tax.

  • Jewish dude

    Bloomberg acts like a dictator maybe he can outlaw treif foods as well. Oops goy won’t allow that.