Is Banning Large Sugary Drinks a Good Idea? Say goodbye to the super-sized Slurpee and Trenta beverage from Starbucks? As reported in Thursday’s New York Times, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is proposing a ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks in the city’s restaurants, delis and movie theaters in the hopes of combating obesity. The proposal - expected to be announced formally on Thursday - would take 20-ounce soda bottles off the shelves of the city’s delis and eliminate super-sized sugary soft drinks from fast-food menus. 

City Hall officials, citing a 2006 study, argue that sugary drinks are the largest driver of rising calorie consumption and obesity. They note that sweet drinks are linked to long-term weight gain and increased rates of diabetes and heart disease.

The administration’s proposal would impose a 16-ounce limit on the size of sugary drinks sold at food service establishments, including restaurants, movie theaters, sports venues and street carts. It would apply to bottled drinks as well as fountain sodas. The ban would apply only to drinks that contain more than 25 calories per 8 ounces.

Further, the measure would not apply to diet sodas, fruit juices, dairy-based drinks like milkshakes, or alcoholic beverages, and it would not extend to beverages sold in grocery or convenience stores.

Bloomberg has enacted measures like this in the past with smoking, salt, alcohol, and trans-fats and now he wants to ban people from buying sugary drinks in giant containers, as Forbes reports. Will people consume less as a result? Or will they just pay more to get two smaller sized sodas? And do the ban’s benefits exceed its costs?

Chime In: Is this measure a good idea?

-LD

[NYTimes, Forbes]

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