Officials in New York City are expected to vote in favour of a new health proposal that will effectively outlaw the sale of “supersize” drinks.
The city’s Board of Health has been considering the idea of banning extremely large drinks and sodas that are rich in sugars.
In this instance, restaurants, movie theatres and delis will no longer be able to sell drinks that go over a 16-ounce limit. It is not applicable to alcoholic drinks.
Professionals moving to America will find that the culture of American excessiveness in its food and drinks industry could be coming to an end, as the country at large begins to address its obesity epidemic.
Doctors and nutrition experts in the country are divided as to whether this will have a critical impact on people’s attitudes to over-eating in the US.
“Ultimately it does come down to culture, and it comes down to taking some first steps,” commented Dr Jeffrey Mechanick, a professor at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
“There are so many factors that are acting in this complex disease. Obesity is not just a disease simply of people drinking too much sugary soft drink,” he said. “Just attacking one thing, individually, isn’t going to do much.
Supporters of the new and unprecedented measure, like mayor Michael Bloomberg, remain confident that it will have a positive impact.
They highlight the fact that a 16-ounce regular coke is an acceptable limit, which is the equivalent of around 200 calories.
A 20-ounce coke ups the calories to 240, which would, if consumed every day, amount to an astonishing 14,600 calories a year. Theoretically, it is enough to add four pounds to a person’s body.
The proposal has been met with disapproval, with critics arguing that singling out drinks, especially sodas, is not only mistaken, but detrimental to their industry.
A new group, entitled New Yorkers for Beverages, claims to have gathered more than 250,000 signatures calling for officials to not press ahead with the plan.
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