( 4UMF NEWS ) Soda Ban Approved:
The size of your soda just shrank.
The city Board of Health voted Thursday to ban super-sized sugary drinks at restaurants and concession stands. Unless blocked by a judge, the ban will go into effect in six months.
Sugary beverages will now be limited to 16 ounces after the board voted 8-0, with one abstention, to approve Mayor Bloomberg’s signature proposal.
The controversial plan, which is meant to curb obesity, came under withering criticism from the beverage industry and some civil liberties groups.
The restriction applies only to establishments that receive letter grades from the Health Department. That means certain outlets, including 7-Eleven and its Big Gulp, are exempt.
There was little doubt that the Board of Health, whose members were appointed by Bloomberg, would stand in the way of the mayor’s plan. One member, Sixto Caro, opted to abstain from voting.
It is the latest in the Bloomberg administration’s wide-ranging plan to make the city healthier. Previous initiatives include a ban on public smoking and the posting of calorie counts in restaurants.
