Bloomberg Expands War on Obesity With First-in-the-Nation Ban

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg opened the latest front in his war on obesity with an announcement yesterday that the city plans to ban the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, movie theaters and street carts.

1 minute read

May 31, 2012, 10:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


Calling it the "most ambitious effort yet by the Bloomberg administration to combat rising obesity," Michael M. Grynbaum reports on the "first-in-the-nation" plan that would ban the sale of a range of sugary drinks, from sodas to energy drinks and iced teas, in sizes larger than 16 fluid ounces. Sweetened drinks are blamed for up to half of the increase in obesity rates in New York City over the last 30 years, where more than half of adults are obese or overweight, notes Grynbaum. 

"Mr. Bloomberg has made public health one of the top priorities of his
lengthy tenure, and has championed a series of aggressive regulations,
including bans on smoking in restaurants and parks, a prohibition against artificial trans fat in restaurant food and a requirement for health inspection grades to be posted in restaurant windows."

"The measures have led to occasional derision of the mayor as Nanny
Bloomberg, by those who view the restrictions as infringements on
personal freedom. But many of the measures adopted in New York have
become models for other cities, including restrictions on smoking and
trans fats, as well as the use of graphic advertising to combat smoking
and soda consumption, and the demand that chain restaurants post calorie
contents next to prices."

 

Wednesday, May 30, 2012 in The New York Times

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

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