November 2012

New York City’s Board of Health passed the controversial ban on supersized sodas proposed earlier this year by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The rule sets a 16-ounce limit on cups and bottles of non-diet soda, sugared teas and other calorie-containing beverages sold in restaurants, cafeterias and concession stands such as at movies and Broadway theaters; supermarkets and convenience stores are not covered. The mayor’s Twitter feed hailed the move, which passed unanimously with one abstention, as “the single biggest step any gov’t has taken to curb obesity. It will help save lives.” The beverage and restaurant industries assailed the rule and vowed a lawsuit and legislative action to overturn it. A 20-ounce cola contains about 40 calories more than a 200-calorie, 16-ounce soft drink—adding up to an extra 14,600 calories a year if a person drinks one a day.