Image credit: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/weight-watchers-diet-groups-support-nyc-crackdown-big-sodas-sugary-drinks-article-1.1151464
Michael Bloomberg who is the Mayor of New York has a pet hate against soft drinks. And so he had wanted to stop the city's restaurants, delis, sports stadiums and cinemas from selling super-sized sodas in his crusade to tackle obesity. Supermarkets and stores are however exempted.
According to BBC News on Monday, it seems that 58% of adult New Yorkers are overweight. And on its website, the New York City Department of Health describes how drinking one 20-ounce (590 ml) sweetened soft drink a day translates into eating 50 pounds (22.6 kg) of sugar a year.
Of course, there was opposition from the New York City Beverage Association who argued that the measure was "zealous". The ban was approved in September by the city Board of Health to come into force on March 12, 2013, with fines of $200 not to be levied until June. When implemented, the sale of drinks larger than 16 ounces (473 ml) in food-service establishments would be forbidden.
But a court has struck down this prohibition, a day before the law was to take effect. And creating confusion for F&B outlets that had already ordered smaller cups and changed their menus.
Judge Milton Tingling ruled that the measure was "arbitrary and capricious", after industry groups sued the city. He said that the 16-ounce limit on sodas and other sweet drinks summarily applies to only some sugary beverages and some places that sell them. He further ruled that the Bloomberg-appointed board had strayed into legislative territory that should belong to the elected City Council.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has no intention to surrender and he has vowed to appeal against Monday's ruling. He insisted that the judge was "totally in error". For now the axe won’t fall on jumbo-sized sodas and other high-sugar beverages.
No matter how well-intentioned the Mayor may be, the point is that it is a lifestyle choice. It is really up to the individual. It is not right for somebody else to decide on behalf of others. Besides, if a person is drinking copious amounts of fizzy pop, he or she is not going to be deterred by smaller drink portions – he or she will just buy more and drink more.
Doesn’t New York have bigger issues to worry about than this triviality called soda pop?
On Tuesday, I was at the Taman Indrahana Toastmasters meeting where regretably I have not being coming as regularly as I should. Anyway, I tried my hand at Table Topics and emerged joint winners with Josephine Lim, the club’s 2013 Table Topics Champion. Ng Jean Hui delivered CC speech #10 to complete the Competent Communication manual and with that the Club has now achieved President Distinguished Club, having earned the maximum ten points. And with Dominic Joseph as the Toastmaster-of-the-Evening, we were assured that the meeting overflowed with generous exuberance. A 6 out of a 10 score. And that’s because we started eight minutes late.
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