New York City Bans Mega-Sized Soda Drinks
0On Thursday, New York City became the first city in the nation to ban the sale of sugared beverages larger than 16 oz at restaurants, sports arenas and movie theatres.
The ban was championed by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has a reputation for taking risky steps to improve city residents’ health. 16 oz is significantly smaller than the average single-serve soda which is typically 20 oz.
While the move may be popular with health nuts, the two-thirds of Americans who are considered obese may have a different opinion. The city’s health board members remain convinced that banned mega-sized drinks is an important step towards healthier residents.
New research reviewed by the board showed that sugared drinks make up 43% of the added sugar in the average American diet. They found that drinking a 16 oz soda drink instead of 20 oz could account a loss of 4 lbs. of weight gain a year.
