The New York State Court of Appeals—the highest court in the state—once and for all shot down former Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to limit the sales of big soda drinks in New York City. When Bloomberg announced the proposal in 2012, the soft drink industry launched a multi-million ad campaign insinuating that the proposal infringed on New Yorkers’ freedom of choice and would harm thousands of small businesses in the city. Bloomberg thought it was worse that people were dying.
Law or not, one thing that hasn’t changed is the fact that “sugary-drink consumption is a key driver of the obesity epidemic.” That’s Dr. Mary T. Bassett, the city’s health commissioner, reminding New Yorkers—especially young (18-24 years old) Hispanic and black males who consume the most. According to a nyc.gov survey, respondents who drink sugary drinks consumed, on average, almost 4 sugary drinks daily. In the same survey 1 out of 4 residents expressed concern about the safety of NYC tap water, which is said to be “some of the best in the country.”
