Ban on Super-Sized Sugary Drinks
Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed a 16-ounce maximum limit, for fountain and sweetened beverages that are available from street carts, movie theaters, delis, restaurants and sports venues. The prevalence of obesity in the American population prompted Bloomberg to advocate for the ban, which aims at reducing obesity, and encourage the population to consume with these drinks with moderation (Petrecca, 2012).
Advantages of the ban
Sugary drinks are one of the contributors to obesity since they are not as satiating as solid foods therefore an individual can consume lots of sugary drink in a day because they do not provide a feeling of fullness. At the end of the day, the individual can consume many calories in sugary drinks’ form, which contributes to the excess calories in the individual that end up un-burnt; the excess calories are stored in the body in the form of fat. Once the fat composition of the individual is in excess of 20%, he/she is termed as obese. The limit of access to sugary drinks size to a maximum 16-ounce, reduces the calories that the consumers will take in via sugary drinks, which will contribute positively towards reducing the prevalence of obesity.
The Ban is specific and applies to drinks with over 25 calories per ounces, this does not apply for milk, 100% fruit juices, or drinks composed of over 50% milk (Petrecca, 2012). The ban on sugary drinks in excess of 16-ounce, might lead to consumer’s change of preference to healthier products such as milk and 100% fruit juices, which will lead to a population that has not only a reduced rate of obesity but is also well nourished.
Traders and manufactures of sugary drinks are likely to benefit from increased profit from the increased sales of smaller sugary drink units, since they have a greater profit margin compared to the over 16- ounce sugary drink units. The ban on over 16-ounce sugary drink units, will lead to an increase in sales of the smaller sugary drink units.
Disadvantages of the ban
The ban negatively affects the food and drink industry, the New York State Restaurant Association complains that this ban is a burden to businesses, and negatively affects competitiveness of the industry. The Industry will lose the sales it enjoys from the sale of the over 16 ounce sugary drink units. The manufactures of the super-size containers will experience a loss in the production and sale of the super size containers if the ban is enforced.
The ban infringes on the customer’s right to choose, the New Yorkers for Beverage Choices coalition, which is working on ways than they can challenge the enactment of the ban. The ban will force consumers to buy smaller units of sugary drinks, which will increase their overall spending on sugary drinks, since buying several small units of a sugary drink is expensive compared to purchasing a single large unit of the same.
Lastly, there is a loophole to the ban, since it only affects areas that are under the scrutiny of New York City’s health department. Areas like 7-eleven are options that consumers have for access to large size sugary drinks (Petrecca, 2012). A limit of sugary drinks sizes to a maximum of 16-ounce, does not guarantee reduced intake quantity intake on the part of a consumer, because the consumer is not limited to the number of the small sized units he/she can buy or consume. The ban on large size sugary drinks such as the 32-ounce sugary drink may take effect, but the consumer has the choice of buying two 16-ounce units of sugary drink.
References
Petrecca ,L.(2012). ‘Supersized’ drinks on the way out in NYC. USA TODAY. Retrieved on 2/Oct/2012 from
