New York City to Ban Big Sodas at Restaurants, Food Carts
Personally, I've never really thought of sodas as particularly Chowish and think 40 ounces of it is just gross, but I know many people live on the stuff. What do Chowhounds think of this?
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linguafood
Jul 6, 2012 03:57 AM
Package sizes for *everything* are much smaller in Germany. There are no "big gulp" sizes. The potato chips bags are not insanely humongous. Not sure whether this is due to government regulations regarding serving size, but you betcha it makes a difference in consumption.
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re: linguafood
I'm old enough to remember when detergents were offered in "giant economy size" packages, though I don't remember how much of an economy that actually was, except for the manufacturers. It was later that the marketing concept was extended to certain foods such as breakfast cereals and beverages, and still later when it was extended even further - and irrelevantly - to portion sizes in eateries. What the economics and sociology of all this might be, I couldn't say, but it's a characteristic American madness that more and bigger is always better.
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If this passes, it won't prevent people from chugging 40 ounces of sugary sodapop at a time, just from buying it in a single huge cup. That's not a ban, it's a packaging regulation. The effect may be to get soda junkies to stop after the first quart; it may be to increase the total price, as the vendor will be selling two cups instead of one. What's the problem with that?
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So apparently drinking 21oz of soda at a time is bad for your health BUT stuffing 50+ hot dogs into your body in 10 minutes is lauded (aside from the bad puns) by the govt in NYC.
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BiscuitBoy
Jun 5, 2012 09:25 AM
What's next? Mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients? No soda purchases with food stamps?
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Today, June 4th, 2012....
Mayor Mike announced that he supports decriminalizing pot possesion
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Our mayor is arrogant and wrong but.... From the looks of the tourists waddling around Central Park I believe a Federal ban on pails of soda might be in order.
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re: beevod
David11238
Jun 4, 2012 09:43 AM
I would ban soda for kids. Or at least the sale of. The same with any pasteurized and/or concentrated fruit juice and drinks. In fact, I think I'd ban any sugar water and milk to kids 18 and under. Let the parents buy it for them. Refined white stuff is a dangerous product. Now, while I don't believe in banning sales to adults, I do believe a law should be passed in making jink food into a lesser evil, visa vie using whole grains and unrefined sweeteners in such things as cakes and soda. Or am I wearing a tin foil hat in thinking it would help reduce some obesity?
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re: GH1618
David11238
Jun 4, 2012 09:53 AM
Sugar milk. Yoo Hoo, Nestle Quick, etc. Again, let the parents buy it for them.
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Cheese Boy
Jun 3, 2012 11:18 PM
I think it's sad that people still don't understand the concept of "empty calories" and that it might take a political ban to decrease (or eliminate) the consumption of sugar-filled drinks, but all in all I think that decision should be left to the individual. I wanted to bring a little attention to the work of this merchant --> http://www.bxtimes.com/stories/2012/2... . Clearly, the mayor has his fans.
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Antilope
Jun 1, 2012 09:10 PM
And then the next day Bloomberg's office supports National Donut Day. Huh?
How many seconds after this law is passed will a lawsuit be filed? Meanwhile the economy continues to go down the drain. Let's not discuss the real issues of the country.
"Mayor Bloomberg supports National Donut Day while defending soda ban plan on 'Today': Daily Buzz"
http://www.syracuse.com/have-you-hear...›4 Replies-
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re: fourunder
Antilope
Jun 1, 2012 09:33 PM
If they really want to ban them, ban the purchase of sugar drinks by minors. Let their parents decide if the kids should have them. Also ban their purchase with food stamps. But if adults wish to buy them with their own money, the government should stay out of our lives.
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re: GH1618
He's dictating making the decision for everyone who enters NYC .....that they cannot make their own consumer desired purchases....or that business cannot sell things, which are legal by law.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictio...
Fascism: : a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control <early instances of army fascism and brutality — J. W. Aldridge>
Autocratic: au·toc·ra·cy (ô-tkr-s
)n. pl. au·toc·ra·cies
1. Government by a single person having unlimited power; despotism.
2. A country or state that is governed by a single person with unlimited power.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Okay, I'll amend and say, at the very least, he seeks to be a Fascist.
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re: FoodPopulist
The Professor
Jun 1, 2012 05:31 PM
And I can't imagine drinking more than 12 ounces at a time.
Unless it is beer.
But soda? Love the stuff, but the idea of drinking 40 ounces of the stuff just disgusts me (and never mind what it does to my body). Is it any wonder that so many Americans are so fat?
To each his own. And evidently, diet sodas are just as bad (and possibly worse) for one's health and do nothing to fight obesity.The law is well intentioned, but will ultimately fail.
Education is the key, not legislation.
And even that would probably fail.
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With all the focus on soda's only, what will happen to the Venti and Trenta sizes at Starbucks in NYC, will these be banned too?
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re: gmk1322
That's actually an interesting question... The ban does include sweetened tea and coffee, but dairy based drinks like milkshakes are excluded. Starbucks and others could probably argue that their blended drinks are exempt as dairy based, and they presumably can still sell drip coffee w/o sugar and let customers add as much sugar as they want at the condiment bar.
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re: mpjmph
deet13
Jun 1, 2012 05:00 PM
If I can't purchase a 40oz Big Gulp of Mountain Dew at the 7-11, then why are Granny Bloomberg and his sycophants allowed to purchase 750ml bottles of desert wines?
The last I checked, the amount of calories for a 750 ml bottle of "table wine" is approximately 500 to 700 calories per bottle, where the typical 40 oz of soda averages between 500 to 600 calories per mug, and the typical 40 oz bottle of beer runs anywhere between 400 to 600 calories per bottle (dependent upon the brand of beer).
Also, what's stopping anyone from purchasing a two liter bottle of soda (which is 67.6 fl oz) at the same store, and pouring that into a 40oz mug?
It's a stupid and intrusive law, written by paternalistic control freaks...
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re: deet13
Actually you still will be able to purchase that 40oz Big Gulp at the 7-11. That's the perfect illustration of the absurdity of this law-- It only applies to restaurants, take-outs, movie theaters, and food carts. Stores are exempted. So a consumer can buy a hotdog or sandwich at the food cart then go around the corner and buy whatever size of sugary beverage to accompany it.
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David11238
Jun 1, 2012 06:20 AM
If Bloomberg were serious he'd ban televisions, computers and related products. All of which are big contributors to obesity and complications from. Soda, like ny other food, natural or not, will add to the problems of an inactive lifestyle. Bloomberg is grandstanading and not addressing more serious issues of the City, such as support for small business and jobs in general.
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Naco
Jun 1, 2012 05:37 AM
This is silly, unenforceable nanny statism. But it strikes me that the logic flows rather cleanly from the drug war- if we can control/ban those substances, why not this one? This is a sort of real world reductio ad absurdum anti-drug war argument. Bloomberg may have just immanentized the eschaton!
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I can see, and have been in favor of the ban on smoking in restaurants and other places as I am not a smoker and cigarette/cigar smoke makes me gag--it is also extremely unhealthy to those in the smokers' surrounding areas. Now--the issue with the oversized beverages is just too "big brotherish". Although I don't drink much soda at all (save for the occassional diet soda), I am too "frugal" to purchase an oversized one when I would be able to purchase a 2 liter bottle for much less. That being said, I don't think most people live off the oversized sodas. If they do, then the soda is NOT the only bad beverage OR food item they are living on. If someone is at an amusement park..and it is a hot day...and they did not bring water, there is nothing fatally wrong withe the purchase of one of those sodas. I think Bloomberg is going off his rocker on this one. Just my opinion.
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It's a symbolic gesture really. Large bottles will still be readily available in convenience stores, and restaurants will still offer refills. I also don't see how it can be enforced - there are so many exceptions, restaurants will still keep larger cups on hand and can claim they are only for water, diet beverages, unsweetened tea, etc...
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It's a health issue not a food issue, with a strong political aspect. The other threads on sugar have made clear that this is a hot-button issue. My view is that the proposal doesn't go far enough to do what needs to be done
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Buy two 20 ounces.
Ban caffeine, too, which is in most sodas; then espresso!
Shut down the coffee shops/houses - or, are there any anymore? I only ask because of my interest in coffee houses.
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