Bloomberg has cited public health statistics showing that the measure is necessary in the nation’s fight against obesity. The document outlining the proposal mentions 58 percent of New York City adults and nearly 40 percent of city public school students are obese or overweight.
The proposal would be banning beverages “sweetened with sugar or another caloric sweetener that contain more than 25 calories per 8 fluid ounces and contains less than 51 percent milk or milk substitute by volume as an ingredient.”
The proposed ban would not affect the sale of diet soda (high-cost) or dairy-based drinks, but would impact other sweet beverages larger than 16 ounces. According to the Bloomberg administration, Americans consume 200 to 300 calories more every day than they did 30 years ago.
However, the document does not delve into the otherwise insignificant fact that the economic gap between the rich and the poor has grown 20 to 30 times in the last 30 years, or that having less money can lead to depression, and lead to overeating, obesity, and craving for calories.
Bloomberg is well-known for his health-related municipal measures and has put a ban on trans fat in restaurant food and the requirement that chain restaurants display calorie counts. In 2003, the Bloomberg administration was one of the first to ban smoking in bars and restaurants.
However, his measures have not always been popular, and people and organizations around him from politicians to technology companies have been repeatedly caught bilking the city as well as illegally grabbing federal funds.
The New York City Beverage Association challenged Bloomberg’s premise that drinking soda was driving up obesity rates and a spokesman for the association 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.”