Sugary Beverage Addendum

I’ve mentioned my dislike for sweet-tasting foods (A Healthful Breakfast), and that, given popcorn kernels, I don’t need sugary anything to earn frequent dental patient status (Dental Check-Up Time; Tooth Sleuths). But as far as I’m concerned, you can eat or drink or chew all the sweet stuff you wish.

Now that I’ve made that perfectly clear, I can devote the rest of this addendum to the campaigns against those sugary beverages that were the focus of research in last Friday’s blog post, Research Sponsor Bias.

New York City's ex-Mayor Bloomberg and others really went after the industry or at least promoted lower sugar-content drinks. And the campaigns haven’t stopped. Here are examples you may not have seen.

A sugar-cube content comparison of various commercial beverages. (multiple websites)

Seattle’s sugar-bag comparison of the content of various  beverages--one of many Rethink Your Drink campaigns. (www.seattleschoolbasedhealthcenters.org)

Rethink Your Drink poster from Hawaii.
(eatrighthawaii.org/2013/11/14/rethink-your-drink-campaign/)

Spanish version of the Sugar Bites campaign by Contra Costa Children & Families Commission, California. (multiple websites)

Los Angeles County’s poster of pouring soda as sugar packets. (multiple websites)

One of New York City’s pouring soda posters. (multiple websites)

New York City’s poster comparison of drink type calories and sugar. (from www.healthaliciousness.com/blog/NYC-Campaign-against-sugar-soft-drinks-and-obesity.php)

New York City’s comparison of drink size calories and sugar. (multiple websites)

And then there was the reaction to New York City’s proposed law limiting the size of many sugary beverage drinks to 16 ounces at most establishments. 

A Pepsi delivery truck carries a poster that protests New York City’s proposed limit on the size of sugary beverage drinks.  (Different versions of the photo are on multiple websites; this one was from www.motherjones.com)

The law never took effect and was eventually overturned. Before the final ruling by the NYS Court of Appeals, there was a vigorous protest by, among others, New Yorkers for Beverage Choices, which included a long list of organizations and establishments that would be directly affected, supporting organizations and individuals, and a few outliers, such as the National Fitness Foundation (nycbeveragechoices.com/).

For a description of New York City’s proposed law and its fate, see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_soft_drink_size_limit